She was single up until her senior year of high school, and could not get a date if she tried before.
But when she was a freshman, she had a crush. A big crush. On Fireman.
Of course this was not his real name. It's not like I was into some superhero in a comic book by the name of Fireman. He was in my grade and he was a volunteer firefighter. And I was in LOVE with him.
I asked him out once. I think it was my freshman or sophomore year. He turned me down, gently. It wasn't like I was out of my league or anything, he was a geek too. Sort of. But I dunno, I guess I didn't fit the bill at that time.
He went to our junior prom with my best friend at the time, Amanda. I was green with envy. Literally, my dress was green, and I had, by far, the worst Jersey Shore knockoff date in the world.
We graduated and to be honest, he faded into the background for me. I didn't really think about him, I had other douchebags to date so I forgot about him.
Two years ago, I ran into him at the grocery store.
He had joined the armed forces and still lived in town with his family. I was living in the next town over at the time and buying groceries for my parents.
We stopped. And talked. And I smiled and flirted. And we went our separate ways. Because I knew that he wasn't that into me so I figured, what's the point in getting my knickers in a bunch over it, it's not like it's going to pay off.
WRONG.
He emailed me a couple days later saying that he was sorry that he hadn't been home on leave longer, he would have liked to hang out, that he would be back for the holidays and was wondering if we could get together then.
HELL YES WE CAN. I nearly said. But I played it cool. Asked him about his deployment, what he planned on doing when he was back.
Then he asked me if I was seeing anyone. Like a boyfriend, he said.
And I smiled. I couldn't believe that after all these years, this guy was FINALLY into me. Typing that makes me sound incredibly pathetic, but the truth of the matter is that I still kind of held a candle for him.
So I waited a few months. We emailed and texted a couple times a week. When he got home he texted me to say that he was back. We sent a few text messages back and forth that night and then I asked him what night he wanted to get together.
HE NEVER RESPONDED.
At the end of the week, when I knew he was going back and my window had closed, I deleted his number, email, and de-freinded him on Facebook. I figured, I don't have patience for someone that does something like that. I mean, how hard would it have been? To say to me: Hey, I've overbooked, I'm sorry, next time I'm home you're my first priority. I definitely would have been disappointed, maybe a little upset, but not half as pissed as I was at the end of that week without a text message.
When he realized all I had done, he was mad. He said that he was "sorry" that he had to spend time with his family and friends, that they were the most important and he ran out of time. Very unapologetic, very argumentative. I just told him that I don't have patience or time to waste on people that don't have common courtesy. And even then he wasn't all that sorry. So I just stopped responding.
The thing is, he just won't let up.
Every few months, he sends me a friend request. I never respond, I never ignore it, I just let it lapse and he sends another one. It's become an irritant.
I don't really feel like I'm holding a grudge, necessarily. I just don't have room or time or anything for people who are disrespectful and discourteous to me. Is that so wrong? Why can't he understand that? And if he is sorry, why doesn't he just...say so, you know? An apology is never too late (except for Lord Milquetoast...no way he could apologize and I would accept it).
