Dear Blake,
A month ago, when I invited a co-worker to a concert happening next month, he was so excited to go. But we had a big disagreement at work — and, since then, we haven’t found a way to get along. At this point, it might be more awkward than fun to go to a concert together, but I feel stuck. If I take back my invitation, he can hold that against me. If I don’t take it back, it could be an incredibly awkward night. Am I missing an option? What should I do?
Signed, Gabriel
From Syracuse, New York
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Dear Gabriel,
Going to a concert with your co-worker would be very awkward. The only thing you can really do, is to be brutally ruthless in trying to avoid his presence. Here are some ideas. Tell him that your car broke down, and you need to borrow some money from him to get it repaired. There is no way he’ll loan you the money, and he’ll probably act as if he didn’t really want to go the concert. Just pretend to be depressed over the issue when you’re around him… and enjoy the concert later. Or this idea. Swap his ticket with someone who has the worst seat in the house. The person gaining the seat will love it, and make sure your co-worker’s seat is as close to an exit as he can get, because he’ll probably use it out of frustration long before the concert ends. Or maybe this suggestion. Have the police stop him and detain him, after you call them anonymously with a bogus tip of a list of major federal crimes he committed. By the time they finish interrogating him, the concert will be over, and you can pretend to be mad at him for not showing up over a rift a work. And this last idea. Tell him you found out that your tickets are fake because you bought them from a scalper. And then tell him you found someone selling some legit tickets online that only costs 20 times the real price. If he says “yes”, take his money and keep the profit. If he says “no” then scalp his ticket at a jacked-up price. Either way you’ll come out ahead financially. I hope this helps.
Blake