I hope Marcus the Lawyer this week leads to something interim. Am a bit worn out by the digital pile of rejection. Some that come to mind:
‘Simon with the dog’. This was a couple of months ago. Seemed sweet. We made a plan to have a drink, and the day of, he cancelled because his dog ‘had an emergency’. Like dog’s do I suppose. He said he'd reschedule. Never heard from him again. Guess the dog made the decision for him.
‘Rupert’. 40s, finance, looks very polished in a Hackett kind of way. Current simmering possibility. He actually sent a thoughtful opener about my profile. He's incredibly intense. We’ve been messaging for three days and he already wants to know my "five-year plan." I feel like I'm being vetted for a merger. It’s exhausting.
‘Liam’, the tattoo artist. We chatted for a bit in May. He was funny, edgy, sent me a photo of a half-finished sleeve that was genuinely cool, but I would never ever want (I have pierced ears and that is as far as body modification will go for me). I was intrigued. Then... silence. Poof. Vanished into the ether. No goodbye, no "sorry, met someone else." Just left me on read. That’s maddening. I’m actually glad I didn't get too far into anything, but it’s a special kind of blow to the ego to be discarded by a man covered in ink who I haven't even met yet.
It has been a collective parade of emotionally unavailable boys and mediocre men who either talk too much or not at all. Essentially, a minefield of low effort and high disappointment. Come on, they should be pursuing me with intention and clarity, taking the lead to plan a proper date and actually showing up. They need to stop treating interaction like a passive transaction and start demonstrating they have the drive and competence to handle a real woman. Deep down I probably scare them, but they will have a little try, then fade.