I underestimated the frequency of the Stepout.

I was just coming out of my Michael Jackson sadness when this new sadness over Steve McNair popped up yesterday. Damn Steve. That sucks. As much as it sucks, I'm a little pissed at him. Just like I'm pissed that Mike needed a lethal injection to get some rest. Just like the rest of us, I get caught up in thinking that famous people are living perfectly well. No drama except for an occasional photographer jumping out of the bushes. Then my fantasy crashes back down to earth because someone overdoses doing speedballs, goes on trial for child porn productions, or coughs up a $500mil in divorce settlements because athletes like to sleep with anything that has a different last name. I guess all this could happen to anybody, even the people who can't afford speedballs.

This Steve McNair situation is especially sad to me, because like many single women (or married?), I feel like having this physical specimen of a football (or basketball. pick your poison) player as your lifelong partner would be pretty awesome. To be standing in the audience when he wins a title or an award, good (or excellent, rather) seats at his games, all the team gear, trips during the off-season, his body, depending on his position on the field, is probably exceptionally decent... Seems like being married to one of these guys would be fantastic! But more and more, I'm finding being married to a lot of these guys would be a nightmare. How many other women, rumors and whatnot would you have to put up with during the marriage, let alone the courtship before the nuptials? Would I prefer several trysts during his days on the road or one special piece tucked away in another neighborhood? What if you were Cookie listening to Magic tell you he had HIV? I don't know that I'd be able to handle it. Well... I'd be able to handle it, I wouldn't be able to stick around for more bad news.

What's troubling to me is that people who aren't future hall-of-famers do the exact same thing more often than they can afford to. Maybe not going so far as to spend a whole lot of loot, but they spend plenty of time and energy, they become physically and/or emotionally attached to women other than their significant other. Sometimes it's many different women, sometimes it's just one special one. I'm not sure which would be worse to find out about. I'd sure hate to find out about both though. I'm willing to bet that if you've progressed to cosigning for vehicles, you have pros in different area codes.

As a former Sidepiece and aspiring girlfriend, I'm left wondering how things get to the point where you have to go find someone else to spend quality time with? And if you feel the need to spend quality time with someone else, why are we still married/shacked up? Am I powerless to stop this? Does your relationship even have to be on the downslide for cheatage to occur? How do I prevent dudes looking for side action from approaching me?

I guess it's not up to me to "keep" him. He has to not want to stray. I could be the perfect combination of beauty, intelligence, tidiness, sexiness, and culinary genius. He could still dip out on me. I am not sure how much suck-it-upness I am capable of summoning. Once is about my limit on other broads. I guess it's a crap shoot. I guess I'd better choose wisely.

Pickiness is an underrated virtue.