A close friend of mine is really feeling down in the dumps. And dumped she was, just last week. The reason? He didn't feel ready to commit. Now, the decent thing to do would be to console her and tell her that everything's okay, and that it wasn't meant to be. But as I'm speaking to her, I find myself rolling my eyes when she's not looking, and maintaining a smug - but almost invisible - grin throughout the conversation.

I didn't do that because I was cruel. And I'm pretty sure I'm not suffering from any form of attention deficit disorder. Usually Honestly, I reacted that way because she deserved it. Plain and simple.

Why? Let's rewind the tape. A few months ago, she announced that she was dating this guy. He was a tad stocky, but his face had a boyish charm that could melt the heart of any unsuspecting housewife. Let's call him John, for convenience's sake.

The relationship my friend shared with John was quite intense. And by intense, I mean that the two of them absolutely could not keep their hands off each other. And don't even get me started on the plethora of raunchy stories I was privy to. Needless to say, this friend of mine was anything but a prude.

Problem was, John came with a little baggage. He had issues with commitment. Every- human being with a penis knows that "I'm not ready for commitment" is male code for "You're not girlfriend material, but I'd still like to get inside our pants".

But John's "commitment issues" didn't bother my friend at all. Apparently (to her, not everyone else), she was perfectly fine with a casual relationship. "After all," she had said nonchalantly, "men aren't the only ones who know how to have fun."

"And if he does decide to commit even better!" she had added. "If not, I'll just enjoy- the ride."

Well, she was taken for a ride in the end, just not the kind she wanted. My friend eventually-and unsurprisingly - fell in love. And when John left, she fell to pieces. But not before sobbing about it to me on the phone for six straight hours.

That's equivalent to six years in male time. I remember my eyes glazing over after the first two hours. By the fourth, they were already at the back of my head, trying to detach themselves from the repetition of the same repetitive story.

The result of my friend's relationship was not unexpected. But still she pursued it, even though everyone else said it was a bad idea.

I know what you're thinking. She shouldn't have played the game if she couldn't handle it, right? The fact is, she's not the only one. So here I am, listening to my friend talk about what happened for the billionth time my eyes glazing over yet again. But then she says something that makes me feels a little guilty for my insensitivity - just enough to wipe the lingering grin off my face.

"I just wanted my happily ever after," she whispers. "At the end of the day, women just want to be rescued by their knight in shining armour."

I guess women aren't the new men after all.