Last we left Tiki Barber, the still-married former NFL player and his mistress Traci Johnson were attempting to explain themselves on Entertainment Tonight. (”Attempting” being the operative word.)
Johnson has since had the bright idea to take to an established, credible gossip website to defend herself after her still-married ‘boyfriend’ left his current wife of 11 years for her. (Ginny Barber was eight months pregnant with twins at the time.)
As a public service, I’ve snipped some of the jaw-dropping narcissism from her “memoir” post on the site so you don’t have to subject yourself to Johnson’s stupefying lack of self-awareness.
When I began dating my current boyfriend in the beginning of January 2010 I was optimistic, yet cautious. He was recently separated from his wife, resetting his love life, and unsure of what the future would hold for him.
All qualities that produced an array of warning signals in my mind. However, the romantic optimist in me prevailed through the doubt and I thought about the possibilities that could lead to the potential of this situation actually working out to my benefit.
He was one of my dearest friends for the past three years and has been the one to pick me up off my face when I fumbled my way through one bad relationship to another. In my opinion those were two fantastic reasons for beginning a new dating adventure with someone, and if those two weren’t enough to convince me to date this man, then the simple fact that I was just freshly wounded by a relationship with what I would like to consider a nutcase (and wasn’t quite yet ready for another serious, long-term commitment with someone) closed the deal for me.
In case you’re wondering, Johnson is, somehow, talking about her relationship with Barber.
Three months later all the bright red caution lights that were flashing in my mind when I first began dating Tiki had disappeared and I was, for the first time in my life, completely comfortable in my relationship. I was able to throw on a pair of sweatpants and not worry about putting make-up on when he came over, our hands seemed to fit together perfectly while walking down the street, conversation over dinner at our favorite French restaurant, La Ripaille, flowed naturally – all in all, life appeared seemingly perfect.
Then within 24 hours, that seemingly perfect world that I had quickly grown accustomed too, vanished. My face was suddenly on the front page of one of the most read newspapers in the nation, I was trending on Google, my family was being harassed by reporters, my sister called to tell me that she saw Tiki and me on television, and I was forced to leave my cozy two-bedroom apartment, with my eight-month old puppy in tow, to spend the next two weeks in seclusion from the world.
I never thought it possible to paint the NEW YORK POST in such a favorable light, but Johnson has done the impossible.
While I can’t speak for Tiki, at first I found the story about his and my relationship to be humorous.
The scandalous headlines, such as “Sneaky Tiki” and factually incorrect details – like Tiki leaving his wife while she was eight months pregnant with twins – that graced the cover of “reputable” newspapers amused me.
Plain and simple, the truth was and still is that Tiki and I never crossed the line of being inappropriate while he was married and nor was our relationship inappropriate now that he wasn’t.
Johnson’s exactly correct when citing the truth. Except for one tiny detail: Barber was still married when they allegedly started dating. And is to this day.
Besides that, she’s right on the money.
I remember one day, crying to Tiki, probably after reading a blog about us (which I promised Tiki I wouldn’t do), begging him to call the papers, to scream it from the top of 30 Rock, to simply tell the world the truth because I thought it was destroying me, him, and the potential future for our relationship together.
Upon my request to vindicate not only myself, but him as well, Tiki, sat me down, placed his arm around me, and said, “Nothing that I can say will change their perception. Only time will. Now, please, stop talking and get back to the nude vacuuming.”
Okay, I made that last part up. Read more…
