So you’re dating someone new.

She’s cute.  She’s fun.  She’s exciting.

You’ve gone on a few dates with her and you’re getting really comfortable with her.

One day she calls you from the car when she’s hanging out with her friends.

The two of you talk for a bit and then—all of a sudden—she passes off the phone to her friend, and she says, “Hey, my friend Mary wants to talk to you.”

So Mary gets on the phone and says, “Hi, I’ve heard so much about you.”

And you think to yourself, “Oh my God, here we go…”

You’ve just been passed-off.

You proceed to have a stupid conversation with her friend that lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to four or five minutes.

At that point, I will say something like, “I hope you take good care of my friend. BYE.”

I hate the pass-off.  I don’t want to talk to their friends on the phone ever.

It’s not that I don’t want to speak to their friends and meet them or have fun with them.

It’s just the most awkward moment in the world.  It’s a pass off.  Because you know, you’re been judged in that moment.

Her friend is dying to know about you.  So now you’ve got to have a stupid conversation so the friend feels involved in the relationship.

Because women always have a third base coach.

She’s the friend that goes whispering in their ear about the person they’re dating.  And the person they’re dating happens to be you right now.

So what do you do during the pass-off?

Well, if a woman says to me, “Hey, talk to my friend right now.”

You say:

“Hey, I got another call.  It’s one of the guys that works for me right now.  We’re finishing up a project.  Let me call you back in a little bit.”

And do I call them back?

No.

I’ll text them back and say:

I’m putting out work fires right now.  It’s driving me crazy. Call me later when you’re home alone and we’ll talk.

It doesn’t matter what time of night or day it is.  You can get away with it.

. . .

The pass-off.  One of the most awkward moments ever invented.

How do you deal with it?