What Are You Doing on Friday?

So today a friend of mine called me up and asked me, 'What are you doing on Friday?'

(Note: No offense please to the friend who called me and asked that and for me writing about it like a jerk.)

But here's the thing. That question is sort of tough.

Here's how the conversation went... and how it works in my head:

Friend: Hi!

Me: Hey!

Friend: How's it going?

Me: Good. You?

Friend: Everything's cool. Roscoe?

Me: He's a good boy!

Friend: Cool. Hey! What are you doing on Friday?

(Inside my head: Uh oh! "What am I doing on Friday?" why!? what's friday? do I have something to do? probably not. in fact, definitely no. but what should i say? i'm doing... nothing? she obviously wants me to do something so if i say i'm doing nothing then i'm sort of cornered in having to probably do the mysterious something which has a 50% chance of being something I definitely don't want to do! i don't want to say yes to whatever it is yet by opening myself up by admitting to doing nothing! it would make getting out of doing something so much harder!)

Me: Why what's up?

Friend: Are you free?

(Inside my head: am i free? oh no! it's looking bad! free to do what? that doesn't sound good! that sounds like i'm going to have to help lift something! or maybe go somewhere to "help" with something! maybe i should lie and say i might have to do something. but what is that something lie? wait! i don't want to lie! but maybe should throw out a backdoor white lie just in case it's something i really don't want to do! maybe i should say i might be going out of the city? leave it sort of open ended? but if it turns out to be something i don't want to do totally then am i actually going to have to stick to that lie? will i actually have to leave the city just to be safe? i don't want to get busted in a lie! uch! just say something...)

Me: I don't know. I think... I might be free...

Friend: Cool. Ok here's the thing.

(inside my head: please don't be can you help me move a couch please don't be can you help me paint please don't be help me move a couch please don't be help me paint...)

Friend: A friend of mine is having this party and maybe you wanna go and blah blah blah....

(Inside my head: phew! yes! phrickin phew!)

So it was like that. Here's the thing.

Regardless of what "it" is I don't think, "What are you doing on Friday?" is a fair question. The world of things to do on Friday range from good to back breaking to going to the airport. And yeah maybe I'm a selfish jerk but I just don't like the on the spot mystery about that question. Why not just come out and say there's a party on Friday if I want to go? Then I can say yes or no or maybe without panicking and feeling like I'm gonna saying yes or no before i even say anything. If that makes sense. Or maybe I'm just a big lazy unappreciative jerk. That's probably more probable...

ok bye!

tOdd