Dear Lily,
A man at my workplace has shown interest in dating me, but I’m uncertain about how to proceed. The primary concern is that he’s somewhat of a loner and, to be honest, a bit peculiar. While I don’t usually judge on looks, he sports very thick glasses, has a greasy comb-over, and exhibits a nervous habit of frequently licking his lips. Additionally, I’ve observed that he carries a bread knife and a roll of duct tape in a carrier bag with him wherever he goes. Perhaps I’m being overly cautious, but there’s something off that’s making me hesitant to go out with him. Nevertheless, he seems quite kind, which makes me feel somewhat sympathetic. Should I go ahead and accept his proposals?
Lily says – I would recommend against dating this unfortunate individual simply out of pity, based on my own experiences. I once invited Sharon Eccles to my birthday celebration because I felt sorry for her, even though she had previously spread nits throughout the class and vomited all over my best friend during a school trip to the museum.
This decision wasn’t made lightly; my mother had stipulated that I could only invite 10 friends, while my class has over 30 kids. Yet, I chose to invite Sharon because she was often bullied for being unpopular, and it seemed like the right thing to do. I also hoped that she’d be so thankful for the invite that she would bring me an amazing gift. However, I quickly realized my good intentions were misplaced. As soon as Sharon arrived at the party, she devoured all the wotsits, popped several balloons, and made a mess in the paddling pool. To top it off, she cheated at pass-the-parcel by holding onto it longer than allowed, ensuring she always unwrapped another layer when the music stopped. She ended up being the biggest buzzkill I could imagine, teaching me that there’s usually a reason people are disliked.
The sooner you understand this, the less likely it is that your father will have to spend a significant part of your birthday trying to fish something unpleasant out of the paddling pool with a plastic tennis racket.
Hope that helps!
