Some people can be really irritating. Take this acquaintance of mine for example. I had gotten to know him a few months ago – a time when I had just broken up with the boyfriend. We got along well – this acquaintance and I – and we did talk a lot about stuff quite intrinsic to the affair I was in. I satisfied his curiosity about my ‘relationship’ with the boyfriend and he kept asking more.
Well, I did not have a problem answering his questions. But it began to dawn on me that I was forever in the dock so to say. The times I had a question for him, he never ever gave me a reply that was direct. Instead, his replies roamed all around the words he knew in English and then decided to choose the ones that made his answers rather vague.
Initially, it wasn’t much of a hassle to me. I let it pass. But this morning, while we were talking, he asked me about life and what do I expect of it. I unwound and told him the truth about my opinion of life. I also dug into the recesses of my mind and bared many of my thoughts that I otherwise would not have shared with anyone.
You must understand that I did all that and more all because I trusted the guy. I felt he understood me and I was at ease talking about it all.
However, a few days ago, a bolt of thunder and lightning struck that understanding of mine.
It so happened that I had logged onto Facebook and there he was. Needless to say, we began chatting. One bit led to the other and soon we were discussing my life and thoughts as if I had laid it all out for a barnyard sale.
After I had finished selling myself, I asked him about his plans. Well, he hesitated and then told me he was going through a crisis. His study plans interfered with his career aspersions because what he was studying was not what he wanted to make a career in.
I told him that he needs to then decide and eliminate what he thought wasn’t meant for him. He said yes, he would but there are other compulsions as well.
So, I – like a gentle benevolent fool – asked what were those compulsions? Perhaps he can share them with me.
To that came an answer that put a bee sting to shame! He said: “Oh I don’t think you will understand me. It’s best we don’t discuss it. Let’s talk something else.” All this after I had laid my life bare in front of him.
The heat of the irritation that this guy caused in me swept my anger into a frenzy. I was livid with rage. How can he even come to think that I cannot understand him when he did not even let me show my understanding of him?
It was a hot volcanic rage that ran through my fingers the moment I saw his answer. But I did have the presence of mind to not let my fingers go berserk in anger. I merely typed: “I see. Okay”
“Don’t feel bad.” He typed in reply.
“Oh no, I am not feeling bad. Okay listen: I think I have to log off. I’ll catch you sometime soon, okay?”
“Okay, and I am sorry if I have caused you any hurt.” Well, if you know you have, saying this doesn’t lessen the damage. But I didn’t say that to him. Instead, I logged off and promptly blocked him in my chat list.
