"hello?"
"hey, how are you?"
"I'm cool. Ummm, are you married?"
"whoa! Whoa...where did you get that from?"
"I was just curious and figured now would be a better time to ask than later, that is, considering the possibility of a later."
"So you're saying there won't be a later? Does that mean I don't get my CD?"
"Well that would presume that there is a CD I have that belongs to you. But that also doesn't answer my question. DO you have a wife?"
"No."
"Okay."
"IS that all? No more interrogation?"
"I'm sure i have more questions, but nothing comes to mind right now."
"Alright. How's that for a start of a conversation?"
"I'm sorry--didn't mean to spring it on you. i just wanted to know. I mean I know you have business and life to attend to, which I admire in you, but I guess I'm just used to a more responsive front than what I'm getting from you."
"I don't respond enuf for you?"
"That's not what I said. I just said I'm not used to not getting as silent a response as you give me. Because I do hear your silence. But I sometimes may be prone to overthinking exactly what they mean, and I don't want to drive myself off a cliff trying to figure out what some sanskrit figures on this opaque wall in my mind mean. You feel me?"
"Kind of...yeah, I understand. But I really have been busy. I had a dinner last night and the night before."
"Great--how did they go?"
"Ohhh, they went well."
"What did you make?"
"For the one on Tuesday night, I made ___ and the one last night I went with an Italian theme..."
"Niice. Sounds really good. I didn't eat McDonald's last night, or the night before."
"I'm proud of you. So is there a CD, then?"
"I mean I have cds at home if that's what you're talking about."
"Hahaha. Nooo that's not what I'm talking about. You don't want to talk to me right now, do you?"
"No, I do want to talk to you. More often than not actually. I think that's my deal right now. I'm dealing with the fact that you're not married and that you're successful and that you have things to attend to that are not me. And I'm a middle child so I'm used to not getting that much attention, but I think maybe I've been spoiled over the last few months...so all this in-between thinking-slash-down time I get with you is a bit unsettling, especially since we both know about your firewalls and all."
"Oh, you're concerned with my firewalls."
"Your guards. I don't know what happened to you before me. I mean I know about Chris and his mother in Haiti....I don't know who else you're dealing with right now, because I'm sure I'm not the only voice you hear day in and out. You're a very attractive man. I know I wasn't the only one to see that."
"Well, thank you. You're very beautiful. And you're right. I do have other women friends, but it's nothing serious."
"Do you have sex with them?" (I would NEVER ask this--not at this stage anyway. I would say:
"It's not serious...okay. Yeah, well, so that's cool. I mean, that makes sense. I have friends too, but I have to admit that I most enjoy my time talking to you. But somehow that can be overcome."
"You're already ready to overcome me?"
"I'm a very impatient person and I guess I am spoiled to some degree and I know myself enough to know what I like when I see it. And I don't like wasting my time or anyone else's, so instead of waiting around for something that could have been settled early on, I like to get it all out in the open asap."
"Okay, I understand where you're coming from. And I can respect that. How old did you say you are?"
"24"
"Well you definitely sound more like an older woman--meaning that you know what you want."
"Thank you. You're right. I do know what I want. But I really don't like being in the position of getting disappointed, especially when it could have been avoided."
"But you can't avoid life."
"But i can try my darndest to know al I can about the situations into which I enter."
"This is true. Well, I'm not married. I do have female friends who I talk to every now and then. But I am very interested in you and would like to get to know you better."
"I'd like the same. But if I have to get used to KNOWING that there will hardly ever be a time when I can reach you, that may not be an option, because from what relationships I have had, I know very well that I hold accessibility in VERY high regard. For whatever reason it means something to me. And that doesn't mean that I need to be able to reach you every time I call. But I do at least hope to be on the list of 'things to do' in the mist of all else you do with your time."
"I'll see if I can make that happen."
"Oh, you'll see, huh?"
"Yeah, I'll see. You know, I don't usually let people put me on schedules, unless they're paying clients."
"Oh well certainly my time (like yours) is my money, so I think I already have an invoice for you for last week's dinner. :)"
"We'll just have to see about that."
"Well do something to see about it then."
"What are you doing tonight?"
"It depends on when tonight is (since this conversation is going on in my head)."
"Well clear your schedule for whenever this is--we've got seeing each other to do."
"umm, I'll see what i can do."
"Yeah, you do that and get back to me."
"I'll check my schedule--you just make sure you're available when I call you back. Bye."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Yep, peace."