I have just started a new job and lied about being single to a new colleague - what a blithering idiot! Help me extricate myself please!

[spicemonster]

I don't know why I did it. I had lunch with a new colleague yesterday (started new job on Monday)and he was very excited about going on holiday with his wife and kids and we were talking about being parents and how great it was and he said 'what does your partner do'? So rather than saying 'I don't have a partner' I said 'oh umm err, he's a blah' and then I had to answer loads more questions.

FFS, I'm such a silly fool. I'm can't possibly keep up a pretence of a fake partner that doesn't exist (my ds was conceived by donor sperm so it isn't even like I can describe an ex who is his dad).

I was thinking of saying that we'd split up not long ago when he comes back from holiday but that I was a bit taken aback by his question so I lied because I didn't really want to talk about it. Do you think that would work?

Incidentally I'm not ashamed of how I conceived my son, I just don't want to become a subject of office gossip when people don't even know me.

[Hecate]

leave it. don't mention anything. Then if you are asked about your partner, say "Oh, we have split up."

They'll say "oh, sorry."
you'll reply "that's ok, you weren't to know"

and all will be well.

[spicemonster]

Oh yes, that is a good idea. I am worried he will mention my imaginary partner to other people though.

[Hecate]

He's a man. He won't remember anything you said!

[chipmonkey]

sm, the chances are he won't. And if he does and people ask about your dp, just say, "oh, you mean, my exp"

[chipmonkey]

actually, Hecate, I was going to say the same thing but then thought maybe all men weren't like my dh!

[Hecate]

No. They are.

Someone we know vaguely had a baby recently. My husband spent a good five minutes talking to her in the street the other day.

I asked him what the baby weighed.
He didn't remember.
I asked him what they had called the baby.
He didn't remember.
I asked him whether it was a boy or a girl.

Yup. He didn't remember.

[TheProvincialLady]

Unless you made out that your partner was going to be the next James Bond, was a porn director, millionaire tycoonor something equally memorable to the male sex, he won't remember anything you said.

[Kewcumber]

spicemonster! PMSL!!!

No no don't listen to advice. Develop a proper personality and give him a name (he already has an occupation so thats a start), bit like an imaginary friend. Make sure he works away a lot though and if you fancy anyone in the new office, then you'll have to kill him off in a freak diving acident.

Alternatively just tell people you are single when they ask next time and if that man says I thought you said he was a bus driver, just say "oh we are fairly recently split up and I still forget sometimes" or even better "he waskilled 15 years ago in a freak Magimix accident but luckily we had prozen his sperm"

Is that helpful?

[chipmonkey]

As a matter of interest, what occupation did you give Mr Right?

[CuckooClockWorkOrange]

the next time (if) he mentions it, just say, it was a kind of on/off relationship, and now it's off.

I'm an LP too,and I did a worse thing. I denied having children well, I omitted to mention them, so I could just seem like a girl about town like they were. tehn about 3 wks later I had to say, no sorry, can't work past 1130 as I have to be up at 6.30 cos I have two children.

Heads swivelled. I felt