3rd
Annual Rejection Awareness Week:
Mr. Newspaper Guy Delivers
Dear
Harlan,
I
was 26, single and had never asked anyone out; I waited to
be asked.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a handsome, tall, dark-haired
gentleman would sit in the Student Center drinking coffee
and reading the newspaper. I named him, "The Newspaper Guy."
I would talk about him to my parents, colleagues and friends.
Everyone always beseeched me to talk to him. That, I thought,
was never going to happen. Good-looking guys don't sit around
single and waiting for a stalker to approach them. So, I continued
my silent ritual of walking by him in my special Monday, Wednesday,
Friday outfits, hoping that he would notice me.
Around that time, you visited our campus and spoke to my students
about taking risks and how it can be scary, but how it can
eventually lead to something wonderful. I hate to admit it,
but I thought you were talking directly to me. Up until this
point, I thought that if I talked to him and he told me that
he had a girlfriend or was married, I would have to leave
the job that I loved and move far, far away and be forced
to cut off all communication with my friends and family. You
sparked something in me. A few months after your visit, I
still hadn't talked to him. We bumped into each other again,
and you reminded me that, yes, he might reject me, but it
might be because he likes blondes or because he is in a relationship
or because he's gay. Rejection wouldn't mean that I was relationship-defective
or unworthy of this person. All I had to do was take a risk.
I went back to campus and engaged in some risk analysis. I
had my boss ask The Newspaper Guy's boss if he was single
and available. Surprisingly, The Newspaper Guy was single
and interested. His boss passed along his e-mail address so
I could get in touch with him. At the time, I was led to believe
he knew it was me inquiring; all I had to do was contact him.
After rewriting my e-mail 600 times, I finally sent it. I
told him that I had, in fact, inquired about him and would
try to find the courage to talk to him. I checked my e-mail
obsessively throughout the next day and finally got an e-mail
back. I say "finally," but it really was only after a day.
He sent me an e-mail letting me know that he did NOT know
that it was me, BUT after noticing me in the Student Center,
hoped that I was the anonymous person asking about him. We
talked that following Monday and made plans for our first
date on Friday. We went on a date to a Thai restaurant near
campus. I'll admit that there were times when I couldn't even
pay attention to what he was saying because I was looking
into his huge, blue eyes thinking, "I'm sitting here on a
date with The Newspaper Guy!"
After almost a year and a half, he asked me to be Mrs. Newspaper
Guy. This June, we're getting married. This has been the most
exciting ride of my life, and I have My Big Risk - and you
- to thank for it.
Future
Mrs. Newspaper Guy
