Guy 9 lives down the street. After two years of hello’s and nods on the train he asked for my number last week I was surprised- but gave him my e-mail address instead. A week later, asked me for coffee and I hesitantly accepted. He seems fragile and inexperienced- socially awkward. He’s not an unattractive guy and I’m left to wonder what’s going on.
So when I met him for coffee two things become very clear. I have the feeling he does not get out much. And he’s really nervous.
He wears a leather jacket and matching leather cap pulled low over his wire frame glasses and he has on a tie. He won’t make eye contact and he laughs with a jolting bark at almost everything I say- it feels forced on his part and it makes me uncomfortable. I manage to pull out of him a little information- he likes to go rock climbing, he went to school to be a sommelier but it just doesn’t seem to be working out- he doesn’t like wine, and serving people makes him angry. When I politely inquire about other things I find apparently a lot of things make him angry. I’m not feeling inclined to open up so I keep asking him questions- he doesn’t seem to notice that I’m not talking about myself at all- fine.
We lapse into silence toward the end. He still hasn’t looked me in the eye and I don’t feel much like putting in the effort to make him feel comfortable any more.
I finish my coffee- he finishes his.
I thank him and leave.
I’ll probably see him on the train again soon. We’ll be back to hello’s and nods.
So when I met him for coffee two things become very clear. I have the feeling he does not get out much. And he’s really nervous.
He wears a leather jacket and matching leather cap pulled low over his wire frame glasses and he has on a tie. He won’t make eye contact and he laughs with a jolting bark at almost everything I say- it feels forced on his part and it makes me uncomfortable. I manage to pull out of him a little information- he likes to go rock climbing, he went to school to be a sommelier but it just doesn’t seem to be working out- he doesn’t like wine, and serving people makes him angry. When I politely inquire about other things I find apparently a lot of things make him angry. I’m not feeling inclined to open up so I keep asking him questions- he doesn’t seem to notice that I’m not talking about myself at all- fine.
We lapse into silence toward the end. He still hasn’t looked me in the eye and I don’t feel much like putting in the effort to make him feel comfortable any more.
I finish my coffee- he finishes his.
I thank him and leave.
I’ll probably see him on the train again soon. We’ll be back to hello’s and nods.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment