Snaggletooth & The Blowhard

So, it would seem that if you are waiting around for a public transit vehicle (in two separate cases today, it was the light rail)--be it at 5:30 in the morning or 5:30 in the evening--that it is open season where the men of Baltimore are concerned.

I have taken to riding the bus to the light rail on most mornings because I feel just a bit uncomfortable walking that four or five blocks at 5:20 in the morning. I did it for nearly 3 months before I realized that I could make use of the very reliable bus that stops just in front of my apartment building and lets off right at the light rail stop.

In any case, there is a small crowd of about 4 or 5 others who are on this bus every morning--one is a gentleman who is always mindful to wish me a good morning.

Today he indicated that a) I should smile more

sidebar: Why are men always telling me that?

and that b) he would love to take me out for dinner sometime or maybe for a walk in the park.

I went with my default "let him down easy" excuse. "Thank you so much for asking, but I have someone." I have found that men categorically respect and accept this reason because it is not a rejection of them. It's just the circumstance. It also brooks no further discussion, so I find it to be the sharpest arrow in the quiver.

Anyway, it became clear to me, when he asked me out at 5:30 a.m., that this man is snaggletoothed, or is it just missing teeth? Anyway, for as respectful his delivery, I couldn't help but feel like "damn. Are we back to the toothless guys now?"

Dentally-challenged (and often drunk) men just love asking me out. After a handful of dates with men who are in possession of a full set, it's hard to face the fact that I'm still a favourite of the former.

Exactly 12 hours later another man, The Blowhard, put the moves on. I saw him for the first time yesterday when he gently reprimanded me for crossing the train tracks inappropriately. He complimented my smile. The moves. I pretended to call someone on my cell to dissuade him from trying to make conversation.

Today he was more forward. I assessed that I needed to not regress to my old ways (being entirely too closed off to everything), so I decided to let him engage. What was immediately clear is that he wanted to discuss himself. To be fair, he's kind of funny (but tries too hard and is too self-impressed) and is obviously smart. Still not interested.

When I disembarked he called out "If I see you tomorrow I'm going to ask you to lunch."

I said "Okay; I may not say yes, though."

Something I learned from my brief stint of intentional dating is that you don't need to say yes to everything in order to confirm to yourself that you're really not interested. Being open doesn't mean second guessing your assessment of certain scenarios.