Sunday, September 7, 2014

No Thank You

I went hiking. A man strikes up a conversation with me. He asks me if I'm single. I say, "Yes." He says I'm pretty. I say, "No, no, I'm not pretty." (This is true, I am not pretty; nor, for that matter, am I good at studying, although that's irrelevant to this story.) He says he's an engineer. We talk about this and that. What I will do for Thanksgiving (This weekend is Thanksgiving in Korea.) What he will do for Thanksgiving. He starts making plans for the two of us. We will exchange phone numbers, he says. We will go hiking together; different hiking courses, this fall. We will drink together sometime. We sit on a bench where the trail splits, one path going up one mountain, another path going up a different mountain. He asks me if it's hard to prepare food, living by myself. I say, "Sometimes I prepare food at home; sometimes I get take out." I say, "How about you?" He says, "I'm married. My wife cooks for me." He asks for my phone number. I say, "I'm sorry, but you're married." He says, "It's okay with me!" I say, "It's not okay with me!" He says it's okay with him, again. I say it's not okay with me, again. A third time. He asks me if I will go up the main trail with him. I say, well, I already went that way a couple of times. I want to go up the other trail, to the other mountain. He asks me a second time to go up the main trail. I respond the same a second time. A third time. Finally, I stand up, I wish him a sincere happy Thanksgiving (not cold and formal, but sincere and warm). Then I head up the other trail. 

This is men's nature. I don't want to judge him or be angry at him.

No comments:

Post a Comment