"Well, maybe he really did get a flat tire from a nail in the road! I mean, it happens. He would want to be a gentleman and pick me up when we go out on a date. So if he has no car, he can't do that, right?" Gabby turns to me with those innocent eyes, looking for a single sign of ressaurance.

I respond by throwing a sharp glare in her direction, to let her know that she's not going to get that reassurance from me.

"I think it's just bad timing. I'm not gonna make it a big deal since it's not his fault. Don't you agree?" she asks again. At this point, I'm going to have to give the hard truth to one of the kindest souls I know, once again.

"No, Gabby. This is the third time Mike has used some lame excuse to cancel a date. The first time, he was sick with food poisoning. The second time, he had to babysit his nephew. Does he really expect you to believe that after the third time rescheduling this date, his car coincidentally happened to run over a single random nail on Route 34?" I respond.

Based on Gabby's silence, I assume he does expect her to believe it, and that she actually does, just like she's believed all of his other excuses.

"I mean come on, Gabby. Mike never has an excuse when he comes over after hitting the bars until 2am and spends the night. But yet there's always an excuse anytime you ask him to take you on an actual date. In public. During normal dinner hours." I am praying that she puts two and two together here and realizes how shady this guy is.

Gabby looks like she's deep in thought for a few seconds, but her pensive state is interrupted by the 'ding' of her cell phone. She grabs her phone and checks the screen. "He texted me! He said, 'Sorry babe, still here at the mechanic, I promise I'll make it up to you.'" A smile spreads across her face. "See, he's keeping me updated! I knew he would! He wouldn't be doing that if he wasn't still interested in me. I just have to be understanding of how hard things have been for him."

I send another disapproving glare her way. She still doesn't get it.

Maybe she'll figure it out the fourth time.