I left the flat this morning, in a hurry.. I'm supposed to start work at 8:30am and it was already just past 8:30 when I left for the five minute walk to work. I used the lift in an attempt to stay as fresh as possible. When the doors opened, I noticed it was already partly occupied, so I squeezed in and gave a small, polite 'kalimera' to the man inside. He seemed estatic with this opening gambit and gave me a huge smile and said he was surprised to see me, was I new to the building? He lived upstairs [probably in the death window-shard flat grrr] he then noticeably looked me up and down as I said I was here to work for the summer. I excused myself once on the ground floor and as I left he looked at me for a bit too long when he said goodbye and said it was a pleasure to meet me.
No stranger to the over friendliness of men who mis-interpret my femininity for welcome, my politeness for interest and my calm observation for a willingness to comply, I usually ignore their advances. Preferring instead the more genuine interests and less shallow motives. So I ignored him and carried on my way. Come lunchtime, I stopped into Debenhams on the way home- it has a mini supermarket attached. In the queue for the till, a beautiful man queued up behind me. Now.. I'm not terribly good with good looking people. I can't quite bring myself to look at them and end up looking like a gibbering fool from my embarrassment that they obviously know I fancy them, even if I don't. So I glanced at him from time to time, noting his perfect physique (broad shouldered, lean and about 6'2" a.k.a perfect) convincing myself I was being very subtle when I noticed on my 4th glance that he was smiling away.. I sensed he'd caught me so I resolutely looked away, determined not to look again and going quite red in the process. It wasn't until I heard him say hi that I looked around again.. I managed to smile and say hi but then my card payment had been accepted and the till lady had handed me my bag so bar waiting around like a crazed fool for his shopping to go through, I had no natural choice but to leave. There's not much scope for hanging around at the supermarket end of the shop. So I left.. but still!! Beautiful man said hi!!
Ha. I'm such a hypocrite. I scorn men who approach me for the way I look and the fact tha ti'm kind and friendly and then I swoon when a handsome stranger notices me. I'm just as shallow except that my standards are higher and they have to be properly beautiful to get that reaction from me.
Anyway.. after lunch, back to work and a client walks into the office. Demands to know who the new architect is (myself) and when he learns me name he's delighted- it's the same name as his daughter and then he takes my hand and kisses it and says (in greek) that I'm as lovely as my name but he shall call me "Borekia" because I'm (something) a word i don't know in greek. But seeing as 'borek' is a sweet cheese filled pastry I can guess at the meaning.
So what's different today that hasn't been there before. Well, i washed my hair (always a success story in improving allure) and I waxed, at length. But can men sense that sort of thing? It's not immediately obvious as I'm wearing long sleeves and trousers and my hair up. Maybe I know I've done these small improvements and my increased self confidence shows in my mannerisms and behaviour and that's what they're picking up on.
Whatever it is that's suddenly made me more noticeable I shall use it to regain beautiful man's attention, if, after enough lurking around debenham's supermarket, i happen to bump into him again. Then I can practise my hypocrisy whilst convincing myself of my own virtuosity.
