Ms. Chatty

So I guess you could say that I am dating the Texan. I don't like the phrase 'dating' but I am going to use it for lack of a better description. To put this story in context, he is definitely not my boyfriend and we haven't had any sort of exclusivity conversations. We are just dating.

Anyway, Saturday around noonish we were lounging around at his place when the phone rang. He had been expecting a call from some coworkers who were coming into town that afternoon, so he picked it up, probably assuming it was them. Well, it wasn't. It was this girl in the US and she was loud. I was next to him and I could hear every word she was saying. Now, when I am on the phone and I don't want someone else to listen to the conversation, I go somewhere where I am all alone. The Texan didn't move a muscle, in fact he sort of slung his arm over me, so I figured that he didn't care that I heard their conversation. Ms. Chatty yapped on for a little less than ten minutes about what has been going on in her life. (She has been applying for a teaching job.) The Texan said maybe three sentences the whole time. From the tone of the conversation I could tell that they were just friends.

Ms. Chatty mentioned that she hadn't seen him online in a while. He told her the same story that he had told me a few days prior: an exgirlfriend of his just separated from her husband and had been contacting him quite a bit and he didn't really feel like talking to her. Fair enough. This is more or less what followed next:

Ms. Chatty (MC): That's too bad. Speaking of girls, how are things going with that other girl.
Me thinking to myself in slight horror - 'Oh my God. Please do not let me be 'that other girl'. This is about to get embarassing!'
Tex: Uh well...
MC: What's her name anyway?
Me: 'Oh no, oh no, oh no...' (in my head still)
MC: I mean, I know she is in California right? I mean, I don't want to have to keep calling her that girl in California.
Me: Huge grin on my face! Thinking - 'Ha! I am NOT the other girl! Well, that's good, but I bet he is squirming now! How is he going to respond to this? Who is California girl anyway?'
Tex: Well, uh, can we talk about this some other time?
MC: Is now a bad time? Oh my God - is someone there with you???
Tex: Uh, yeah.
MC: Oh my God. Why are you even talking to me? I have to go. Talk to you later.

Then Tex hung up the phone. For a split second I wanted to ask about California girl, but then decided against it. I mean, I like him alright, but I really don't mind that there is some other girl somewhere. Maybe I should mind, but I don't. And I really don't want to ask about it because I don't want to discuss anyone else I may have on my mind with him, so i don't want to make him discuss it with me. And I think that is something that is quite common with expats -- there is usually that someone back home who has a piece of you.