The big difference...

[Gjest Lisspia]

Let's say a guy called Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks

her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights

later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.

And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud:"Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"

And then there is silence in the car.

To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: Jeez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.

And Roger is thinking: Gosh. Six months.

And Elaine is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward...I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading towards marriage? Towards children? Towards a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?

And Roger is thinking: So that means it was...let's see...February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means...let me check the milometer...Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.

And Elaine is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed, even before I did, that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.

And Roger is thinking: And I'm going to have them look at the transmission again.

I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they had better not try to blame the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees and this thing till shifts like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetant thieves £600.

And Elaine is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too.

I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.

And Roger is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty...scumbags.

And Elaine is thinking: Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting next to a perfectly good person, who I enjoy being with, who I truly care about, who seems to care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centred, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.

And Roger is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their...

"Roger", Elaine says out loud.

"What?" says Roger, startled.

"Please don't torture yourself like this", she says, her eyes brimming with

tears. "Maybe I should never have...Oh God, I feel so..."

"What?" says Roger.

"I'm such a fool,"Elaine sobs."I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight and no horse,"

"There's no horse?" says Roger.

"You think I'm a fool don't you?" Elaine says.

"No!" says Roger, glad to finally know the correct answer.

"It's just that...it's that I...I need some time. Elaine says.

There is a 15 second pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to

come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.

"Yes," he says.

Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand. "Oh Roger, do you really feel that

way?" she says.

"What way?" says Roger.

"That way about time," says Elaine.

"Oh," says Roger. "Yes."

Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse.

At last she speaks.

"Thank you Roger," she says.

"Thank you," says Roger.

Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn.

When Roger gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV,

and immediately becomes deeply involved in a re-run of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it.

The next day, Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them,

and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification.

They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definate conclusion, but never getting bored with it either.

Meanwhile, Roger, while playing squash with a mutual friend of his and Elaine's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say,"Norm, did Elaine ever own a horse?"

And that's the difference between men and women