Wednesday, May 17, 2006
With A Little Help From My Friends
Ten years ago this week, I found myself staring darkness in the face and learning about the power of friendships.
This story takes place in Rochester, New York. I was in college and my roommate had decided to invite a lady he had met on-line to visit. The arrangements were made with the RA and I agreed to this. I even spoke with the young lady on the phone.
Things went well, until Monday night. Hearing the two of them talk like, well, kids in love drove to the point that I had to leave the dorm. I began just kinda roaming the halls until two other young men asked me what was the problem. So I explained the situation of how I wondered how my roommate, who spent most of his spare time on-line, had managed to find someone. Well I don't remember what exactly they said, but I did feel better.
Well the next day went OK as well, I explained that I had an "attack of doubt" and that I should be OK. Well I was, until that evening. When I nearly rammed my TV through the wall. I decided my best bet at that point was to go downstairs, and hope a high school buddy who was an RA may be willing to listen. Well he wasn't there, but another young lady was. She, too, heard my tale. She was also able to give a woman's perspective on things and basically told me not to worry about it.
So back upstairs I went, where the most surprising of my "Angels" would come to my aid. His name was Mario and he was your archetypical "frat boy". I had won his respect when I confronted him about his needling me. Some of what he told me may have been the best advice of all. He basically said that people like my roommate need to "take what they can get" while I can be a bit more picky. Now I'm still waiting to find a girl under a tree reading poetry--of course, it may be now more a case of a girl liking something I read at a coffeehouse, etc.
Well this whole saga has a weird ending. Over Easter, my roommate apologized to me for this whole incident. But I said he had no need to, maybe because I learned the power of friendship. ¶ 10:29 PM
Ten years ago this week, I found myself staring darkness in the face and learning about the power of friendships.
This story takes place in Rochester, New York. I was in college and my roommate had decided to invite a lady he had met on-line to visit. The arrangements were made with the RA and I agreed to this. I even spoke with the young lady on the phone.
Things went well, until Monday night. Hearing the two of them talk like, well, kids in love drove to the point that I had to leave the dorm. I began just kinda roaming the halls until two other young men asked me what was the problem. So I explained the situation of how I wondered how my roommate, who spent most of his spare time on-line, had managed to find someone. Well I don't remember what exactly they said, but I did feel better.
Well the next day went OK as well, I explained that I had an "attack of doubt" and that I should be OK. Well I was, until that evening. When I nearly rammed my TV through the wall. I decided my best bet at that point was to go downstairs, and hope a high school buddy who was an RA may be willing to listen. Well he wasn't there, but another young lady was. She, too, heard my tale. She was also able to give a woman's perspective on things and basically told me not to worry about it.
So back upstairs I went, where the most surprising of my "Angels" would come to my aid. His name was Mario and he was your archetypical "frat boy". I had won his respect when I confronted him about his needling me. Some of what he told me may have been the best advice of all. He basically said that people like my roommate need to "take what they can get" while I can be a bit more picky. Now I'm still waiting to find a girl under a tree reading poetry--of course, it may be now more a case of a girl liking something I read at a coffeehouse, etc.
Well this whole saga has a weird ending. Over Easter, my roommate apologized to me for this whole incident. But I said he had no need to, maybe because I learned the power of friendship. ¶ 10:29 PM
