Tempted By The Fruit Of Another

Is it so commonplace that there are songs written about it? Is the fruit from your neighbor's tree truly sweeter or is it merely the lure of forbidden fruit that is so tempting? At best one sour bite is enough to satisfy the curiosity or make you regret the indiscretion. At worst you'll not only desire the fruit, you'll covet the entire tree. Either way it's bad karma for everyone involved. I'm totally aware of this, but it doesn't make it any easier to resist and at times makes it that much more irresistible.

A part of me wishes I hadn't asked and he hadn't answered, although I'd started to suspect it toward the end. It was a classic case of Ignorance is Bliss, or being deliberately obtuse. I knew about her. I just thought he was honest with her about there being others. I didn't want to be the only one. Knowing this would have made it an affair instead of just two single friends in a sometimes-physical relationship. At the same time I didn't want to be one of too many since I genuinely cared about him, yet had no interest in being his girlfriend. I couldn't trust him anyway.

Of course he isn't helping at all. He'd be a great politician - always so sure of himself and able to convince anyone of anything. I know he'll do his best to seduce me, appealing to my sentimental side, the one with the familiar, soft spot for him. I want to believe that there is no risk of reoffending. Doing so would only validate his dishonesty. I'm single, he's the one who's attached but would being his accomplice make me just as evil? (A mutual friend tells me that on some level she knows (don't they all?) but chooses not to ask. Sound familiar?) Would my doing the right thing now somehow save me from being a victim of someone's infidelity in the future? Maybe not but one has to start somewhere in making things right and I'm definitely going to try.