Short version: Arrived just in time to hear W's boss announce that his W is pregnant - not planned, they are older, and he's clearly struggling with it. Three bars later he was pretty drunk, had attached himslef to my W, laying out all the tales of woe about his dysfunctional family, health problems, and about how only she would understand. He actually cut off the others as they tried to offer their support, saying only my W would understand, since they are of the same ethnic background. He seemed to really need to confide in her and was way inside her personal space, practically leaning on her. It was pretty awkward all around. W was clearly uncomfortable about it by the end. I don't know how but I did ok, taked with some other people and tried to steer the conversation toward some lighter topics. We drove some officemates home and W just held my hand. I was just so happy I've learned enough to handle that maturely. That alone was worth it. As for the holiday party aftermath, well, I'm glad I don't have to clean it up.
