A NOTE FROM THE UNIVERSE

There’s this gay guy in the office who always gets fabulous boyfriends.  Not the teenybopper one night stand types but serious, thinking ones, the kinds you could imagine dating if you yourself were gay. 

I asked him last week how he finds them. 

Then I suddenly thought to ask him what was wrong with me. What was stopping me from finding equally fabulous (but straight!) guys.

“Nes,” and he took a long, long pause before clearing his throat, “You scare me. You scare people.”  He then described how I walk into rooms oozing the equivalent of nuclear energy, snapping at everyone, expecting immediate answers, fidgeting when I’m impatient, interrupting when I’m bored …  

It’s funny how the social skills that can get you ahead at work do not translate to other venues in life.

His tip, “Sometimes, you just have to be really sweet … and not be a know-it-all … “

Then and there, I decided to practice my version of sweet, mindless charm on said scared-of-me gay office guy.  

One week later and he’s probably forgotten about our conversation but I see the sweetness is working on him.  He used to stay way outside my personal space.  Now he regularly walks into my cube just to rant. 

The sweetness works on girls too.  Sometimes I can’t help myself and stop totally strange women in malls to ask what the color of their eyeshadow is because it makes them look pretty.  You won’t believe the smiles they give me, plus the make-up tips I get.   

So the universe upped the ante last night and gave me a real guy to practice on.  It was around midnight at Esquinita. I was hanging out with Dyimeno who was pushing me to fill out the international grant application form she’d brought.  “Sige na!” “E tamad ako mag-aral!” ”Sige na!” ”E tamad nga ako e!” 

In the midst of this exchange, a waiter with a goatee mysteriously handed me a napkin, which turned out to have a neatly written message on it … 

In the past I would have freaked out and totally ignored it.  But last night, I took a little time to assess the situation, asked the waiter who sent it, saw that napkin note boy  — who was smiling shyly at me while drinking with two of his friends – had a pleasant, open face, and decided to write him back. 

Left my name on a bar napkin without a number.  Drew a smiley on it.  Sent it back through aforementioned waiter. 

About ten minutes later, I had to walk to the bathroom.  Napkin note boy turned out to be waiting for me outside.  He stood a meter away, had his hands in his pockets, looked super nervous.  ”I’m F_____”, he said.  I smiled and shook his hand.  A funny little conversation ensued about our workplaces.

There wasn’t any spark.  So I wasn’t giving out my number.  But I liked the boy.  He was nice.  Respectful.  And more than anything else … courageous.  

So my wish for today is that his earnest search finds him the perfect girl.  And I don’t have a wish for myself because I’m already receiving unexpected packages from the universe every day … new friends … new insights … new experiences …

I’m having a blast of a summer, in every way possible!  

P.S. = note to self: must thank office gay guy for being so honest …