Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Of fools and men
A few months ago there was this guy I was working with in a team where there was also another woman. Well, a particular one to whom I’m referring here among others …
He is married and so is she. But the guy had a terrible crush-infatuation or whatever you want to call it with the woman. He would follow her around like a puppy, sit next to her at lunch and dinner, order the same food/drinks she would order, offer to share portions with her, show incredible interest in whatever stupid comment she would make, offer to pick her up at the airport or drop her off on the way back home.
He would go out of his way to be around her and even (sometimes in the evenings and after a few drinks) to touch her, you know, those casual touches on the arm, shoulder or waist as we went in or out of restaurants and bars, when infallibly he would be right in front or behind her.
I have to say the situation was making me uncomfortable. But don’t get me wrong, not uncomfortable in the way of the whole thing being “politic ally incorrect” since they were both married, because I really don’t care about that, I firmly believe that “everyone makes a bus out of his/her ass and let ride in it whoever they like” but because there were more of us around and since the guy was our boss (Oh yes, I think I neglected to mention that part), the world seemed to revolve around him, whose world seemed to revolve around her so our world was inevitable affected and we were following them both around like a line of little ducks following mama duck in the lake. And our opinions and desires were inevitable eclipsed by whatever she-he pleased to do, in that order.
My reactions went from being pissed for being neglected as a person by somebody I considered important and smart like my boss to tired of trying to be understandable when nothing I would say would ever seem important enough to deserve an answer from them to totally disappointed with both of them. Because she was no saint. She knew what was going on, and although is my modest opinion she never had intentions of going any further than the shameless flirt with him, she encouraged the whole thing to keep going on. And so the thing was a widely known secret and topic of conversation between the rests of the team every time they weren’t around. And the joke was to propose in front of them every now and then to do a “team-building” activity and see if they got the hint … they never did.
Some more or less embarrassing situations happened, time went by, they both parted ways along the days (although we are all still working together more or less) and as time all cures, it cured this as well. Or at least made the symptoms not so noticeable anymore … and I forgot all about it … until last night.
They are not involved in what brought back the memories but yesterday this married girl showed up to help with some activities at work and this guy that is not married but knows she is, planned to go out for drinks and dinner to be around her, and since he couldn’t invite her alone, because it will be obvious and politically incorrect and even if she likes him and flirts with him and would go gladly and voluntarily out with him she won’t admit it, so he invited three other of us to go along … and we spent the whole time sitting around them, trying to jump into their conversation, although it was obvious they didn’t want us to. They didn’t even ride with us although there was plenty of space for all of us in one car. We were just the excuse for them to be out alone-but-not-so.
Some times men make such fools of themselves …
A few months ago there was this guy I was working with in a team where there was also another woman. Well, a particular one to whom I’m referring here among others …
He is married and so is she. But the guy had a terrible crush-infatuation or whatever you want to call it with the woman. He would follow her around like a puppy, sit next to her at lunch and dinner, order the same food/drinks she would order, offer to share portions with her, show incredible interest in whatever stupid comment she would make, offer to pick her up at the airport or drop her off on the way back home.
He would go out of his way to be around her and even (sometimes in the evenings and after a few drinks) to touch her, you know, those casual touches on the arm, shoulder or waist as we went in or out of restaurants and bars, when infallibly he would be right in front or behind her.
I have to say the situation was making me uncomfortable. But don’t get me wrong, not uncomfortable in the way of the whole thing being “politic ally incorrect” since they were both married, because I really don’t care about that, I firmly believe that “everyone makes a bus out of his/her ass and let ride in it whoever they like” but because there were more of us around and since the guy was our boss (Oh yes, I think I neglected to mention that part), the world seemed to revolve around him, whose world seemed to revolve around her so our world was inevitable affected and we were following them both around like a line of little ducks following mama duck in the lake. And our opinions and desires were inevitable eclipsed by whatever she-he pleased to do, in that order.
My reactions went from being pissed for being neglected as a person by somebody I considered important and smart like my boss to tired of trying to be understandable when nothing I would say would ever seem important enough to deserve an answer from them to totally disappointed with both of them. Because she was no saint. She knew what was going on, and although is my modest opinion she never had intentions of going any further than the shameless flirt with him, she encouraged the whole thing to keep going on. And so the thing was a widely known secret and topic of conversation between the rests of the team every time they weren’t around. And the joke was to propose in front of them every now and then to do a “team-building” activity and see if they got the hint … they never did.
Some more or less embarrassing situations happened, time went by, they both parted ways along the days (although we are all still working together more or less) and as time all cures, it cured this as well. Or at least made the symptoms not so noticeable anymore … and I forgot all about it … until last night.
They are not involved in what brought back the memories but yesterday this married girl showed up to help with some activities at work and this guy that is not married but knows she is, planned to go out for drinks and dinner to be around her, and since he couldn’t invite her alone, because it will be obvious and politically incorrect and even if she likes him and flirts with him and would go gladly and voluntarily out with him she won’t admit it, so he invited three other of us to go along … and we spent the whole time sitting around them, trying to jump into their conversation, although it was obvious they didn’t want us to. They didn’t even ride with us although there was plenty of space for all of us in one car. We were just the excuse for them to be out alone-but-not-so.
Some times men make such fools of themselves …
