Why is trying to understand the opposite sex such a complicated task? Where does this breakdown in communication happen?! Why are we so afraid of showing our "true" selves to the opposite sex?
Monday the new school year started for me, and the Literature course I'm taking is making me think - alot! Now you might be wondering what kind of Lit class I'm taking, well, oddly enough it's Children's Literature. We're analyzing things based on Jungian principles and I leave the class with my mind reeling. This probably sounds odd, so I'll give some background info.
During the summer, I was tutoring a couple people from an algebra class (no big deal for me since I was in precalc at the time). Anyhow, Colleen was a nutty girl that's around 18 and not the brightest crayon. She's really sweet though, which makes up for her not being super intelligent. Justin was the other person I was tutoring is about the same age as me (22, for those who didn't already know). He's such a ham. One of those class clown types, that's actually pretty smart, just not great at math. We all spent a fair amount of time around each other during breaks and after school. Well, come to find out Justin and I were both enrolled in the Children's Lit class. I was thinking cool, at least I'll know someone.
Then the new quarter started, and I ran into him before class on the other side of the campus. We sat with each other during class, then went outside to head to our next classes. It just so happened that our classes were right next to each other. We walked up to class together. Not super eventful, I know. The recent days aren't super eventful either, but things just feel different. Mostly because during Lit, the professor goes off on his own tangent a lot. Usually, it seems that he goes into relationship type discussions. He's been talking a lot about getting into relationships, and the way men and women relate to each other. I guess my problem is more that I had this idea in my head about what Justin would be like once I really got to know him, and I was way off.
I'm the kind of person that pays attention to details. When I first started talking to Justin he said he parties a lot, and spends most of his free time at the bar. Pretty typical college-guy stuff, I know. That's just not what I want for myself. Anyhow, the way he reacts to certain things the prof says in Lit makes me think he's actually a really sweet, sensitive guy, and that kind of kills my previous assumptions of him. I don't think I've ever met a sweet, sensitive guy in a bar, which is the main reason I don't hang out in them.
To make matters worse, I have no clue what to make of him opening doors for me. I thought chivalry was almost completely dead. Today, I was sitting at one of the picnic tables in the courtyard, I looked up and saw him walking towards me from about 100 yards away. I knew it was him by the way he was walking. He came over, shared his fries from McDonald's, and asked me to read to him. Yes, we were supposed to read for Lit, but I about died when he wanted me to read to him. Mostly that was because I had this mental picture of us sitting out in a clearing on a blanket reading to each other. Weird idea, huh? Anyhow, our friend Doug came over and picked up the book, and started reading to him while I tried not to fall off the bench laughing. Doug stopped reading after about 3 sentences, and Justin went back to begging me to read to him.
It was time to go to class, so I looked at him and asked if he was ready to go. He said he was, and stood up, waited for me to put all my stuff away and made sure to get to the door first so he could open it for me. I think he wanted me to notice that he was opening it for me (tho I have no clue as to what REALLY goes on in a guy's head) because he said with a big grin on his face, "I'll even get the door for you." Then, during class, whenever the professor said something about relationships he'd kinda kick me under the table. I think either he and I are becoming really good friends or he wants a relationship with me. The stuff I don't understand is him talking about other "hot" girls with me, and trust me, plenty of them come up to us when we're talking and flirt with him. It doesn't really bother me that he talks to them or anything, he doesn't take off and follow them to class, he stays and talks to me after the other girl goes to class.
So, guys out there, I want to know do you think there's something there, am I imagining things, or what the hell is going on??? I'm completely confused about this! Laugh all you want, but women don't understand men any better than men understand women-- women just fake it better.
