I just read the most interesting short story by Midge Raymond titled Two Lies and a Truth. In it, two friends consistently play a game where each has to guess which of the three statements is true. The interesting turn of events occurs when one friend discovers the other is cheating with her boyfriend. One break-up leads to the original friend cheating on the other friend with the same boyfriend. What a dark and delicious turn of events.

What strikes me most occurs at the end when the previous girlfriend, who is now the "other woman," admits that she has no illusions about what she's doing and no longer believes in "fantasies, in loyalty, in happily ever after." She continues, "What I believe now changes and morphs, the truth fluid and malleable, ebbing and flowing the way friendships bend and stretch but rarely break."

Boy this passage has my mind reeling. Is this the ultimate destination for us women? Do we eventually arrive at the realization that there really is no absolute truth? Do we have to make peace with the fact that everything we thought we knew and believed actually turns out to be false? Like, loyalty in friendships and partnerships and the happily ever after mythology. The other end of this existential dilemma resides in the acceptance of the disillusionment and the twisted revenge. I mean, the previous "cheatee" is now the cheater. She boldly embraces her ex's improved treatment of her, now that she's the other woman.

What does this say about relationships? How many are based on a lie or a series of lies?

Years ago, I ended a friendship. I couldn't stomach being drawn into my friend's web of lies. She was lying to her husband about her huge financial mismanagement and expected me to lie with her. I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. I had to walk away from that friendship because I couldn't accept that my friend could be so cold and calculating with her supposed beloved. Naive, yes, but crooked no, that's just not me.

I knew my friend married him because he as a doctor and would be a good provider. He was a good provider and never expected or required her to work. That, however, was not good enough for her, she wanted more. She not only wanted more, she took more than he could possibly make in order to keep her in the lifestyle she wanted. Due to her unbelievable expectations, she got them both into tremendous debt - and he was clueless.

Years have passed and I no longer know what happened to that couple. I always thought that when the shit hits the fan, it was going to be one hell of a mess. But, you know, I wonder if he still isn't living in some form of denial. Even after he realized he had married someone a little different than he thought, he was loyal to her. I wonder if he still is?

My question now, today, is: Are there any genuine relationships based on total trust and absolute honesty? Or is that too just another fantasy I have to outgrow?