Flirting

Ever since I can remember, I've always been... forthcoming in my flirting tactics. Sadly, I think this was much easier in my childhood years.

When I was in kindergarten I wrote a love note to the boy next door.

In third grade I kept dropping my pencil so the boy next to me could be chivalrous and pick it up for me.

And in fourth grade I couldn't wait for the school day to end, just so I could catch up with the high school freshman picking up his sister. I took great pleasure punching him in the arm. At that age, it's flirting!

Like most, my teenage years felt awkward, so I refrained from my prior practices. So now the past 10 years or so, there are times that I do or don't put the effort into it.

A male friend had mentioned that I'm too platonic. Hmm... That is definitely something to thing about. I don't like to be one of those women who touches a man's lapel while laughing obnoxiously, nor do I think that he was referring I should be that way. At the same time, I don't think I'm standoffish. I firmly believe that there is a time and place for everything.

I always thought that being charming and engaging is part of flirting. Is this statement correct? If it isn't, someone please correct me! Make eye contact without staring, smile, turn your body towards him... sheesh, there are way too many books and articles but they all say the same thing.

Was It A Sale?

I suggested to meet Armen at Equator, an eclectic, hip coffee shop in Old Town Pasadena. Why did I choose this place? Because he couldn't think of a location so he left it up to me. (This is a recurring problem and I need to make a mental note to attempt meeting more creative men.)

He doesn't meet me there. Not physically. He calls from his car and says he's having a hard time finding parking and if I can meet him on Colorado Blvd. Feeling ridiculous as I wait at the curb, he pulls up and we chit chat for a moment through the window before he invites me in. Hmmm.

Armen is handsome in a BMOC kind of way -- a type I've never gone for because they usually considered me the friend. He also seemed conceited in a way that I loathe.

To be trusting and nicer than I've been to him, I get in. In retrospect, I should have gone home.

So he ends up taking me to his home. He lives with family. Yes, they were home but no, I did not meet them because they we're already sleeping.

We were watching television and he started to make moves on me, but I was so uncomfortable. It was getting late and I told him I had to wake up early and if he can drive me back.

I've never seen a guy over the age of 10 pout before. As he dropped me off, I remember he was a little rude, but I don't remember what his parting words were exactly.

Wouldn't you know? I didn't hear from him again.

I have a girlfriend who thinks that if I were Armenian, it would have played out differently. She thinks they don't date outside of their culture, and if they do, it's only for fun. I'd argue with that... I have a couple of cousins who married Armenian men. It must depend on the man.

The Sales Pitch

Work is not the most ideal place for me to meet men. It's ironic, because the construction industry is filled with them. Since I work with family, it's possible that they feel they shouldn't cross that boundary.

However, one day I had an appointment with a sales rep of a payroll services firm. Let's call this one Armen, short for armeno, which translates to Armenian. Brilliant, isn't it?

Now, one of my pet peeves is waiting for people who are more than a little late. So when Armen called me more than a half hour past our appointment time, I was icy and gave him a piece of my mind. He apologized and asked to reschedule. Reluctant, I agreed.

The following day he showed up on time and looked surprised that he would be talking to me. Not quite sure what was going through his mind. He probably didn't match the conversation from the previous day as talking to one of his peers. Either that or he probably didn't think he'd see a girl working for a construction company in a dress.

I'm not stupid. I can tell when a guy looks at me and he's searching for words he was going to say but forgot because he's distracted... by me!

After giving me his rehearsed sales presentation, I explained I couldn't agree to anything right away and would need a day to think about it.

He did call to follow up and I had to decline his services. He was trying to be persistent, and this had to stop, so I tell him, "Why don't you ask me something I can yes to?" Promptly, he asked if I would like to have coffee with him. Simple... this isn't brain surgery.