Living in the no-woman’s-land of casual dating, I sometimes forget how nice it is to be courted and treated like a lady. (Go ahead feminists, kill me, but it feels pretty damn good!)
I am regularly reminded of this sad factor when visiting my homeland, Russia, the land of macho men and fragile (yet remarkably manipulative) women. Just this week, I have had two examples that show just how non-demanding and paranoid I have become.
Example 1: A male friend calls to make plans for the evening.
Him: I’ll pick you up at 8.
Me: Pick me up? Why? No, don’t.
(Does he want something from me?)
Him: Don’t be silly; it’s no big deal.
Me: But you have to go out of your way!
(He definitely wants something from me.)
Him: You’re weird. Come down at 8.
Example 2: At a club, giving a guy my number.
Him: Let’s go to dinner tomorrow.
Me: Tomorrow? Umm…
(He is scheduling a date for the next day! What happened to waiting 2 days?)
Him: You’re busy?
Me: No, not exactly..
(I can’t agree, I have to play hard-to-get. Or something.)
Him: Okay, so tomorrow then. I’ll call you in the morning and we’ll discuss.
Me: Um, okay.
(Yeah, right, sure you will.)
Guess what? He called the next day and took me to dinner that night. Once again, I was picked up and driven me home afterwards. For him, a normal event. For me, enough chivalry to last me another season of “independence” in New York.
