April 06, 2002 | 9:49 AM

Last night Jenn and I went to The Common Ground.

We were going to have one drink.

One. Drink.

You know how that goes.

Long Island Iced Teas for me and Grateful Deads for Jenn. We would�ve stayed forever if this cheeseteria band hadn�t started playing three feet from where we were sitting.

When we left the pub it was snowing and lovely. We strolled down Harvard Ave. to our apartment building. We sat on the stoop and smoked cigarettes, watching all the party boys and girls weave by in a beer soaked tapestry. Jocks hoisting kegs scooted in and out of our building forcing us to move out of their way every couple seconds.

Finally it wasn�t worth it.

Upstairs we fixed another drink and listened to one of those Living in Oblivion compilations. Tears for Fears. The Thompson Twins. Eurythmics.

Jenn decided to call Angus. I did not put her up to it people, so don�t even start with me.

It was all very seventh grade. The pop music. The two drunk girls in pajamas. The nervous giggling phone call to The Boy. Luckily he wasn�t home. I breathed a sigh of relief and drowned my disappointment in another rum and coke.

John, of course was out somewhere with some other girl�just a friend who happens to be a girl, one of many. They replace each other every six months or so. I used to call them the minnie girlfriends. Now I don�t really think about them at all. I wonder what that means.

I used to be so jealous of all the time he spent with these girls�the minnie girlfriends. He would write songs for them and make them dinner and take them to the zoo. All of which is perfectly acceptable and fine. But it hurt so much while it was happening. Because there were no songs for me, no dinners, no trips to the zoo. From the moment I was downsized by the Stupid Company, I stopped existing in John�s world. And even now, there is a lot of space between us

Well I guess you better make up your mind/ Pick up on one and let the other one slide/ It�s not often easy and not often kind/ But I guess you better finally decide

I think John and I see each other less than any other couple under the age of 45. Maybe this is why we never fight anymore. Maybe this is why a lot of things.

It�s 9:34 AM and this girl is sleeping on my couch.

Which is fine.

Separate lives, people.

Things are so very very complicated.