Hanging by the telephone

I've talked at length about the nice guy and his dating dilemmas, but what about his female equivalent? Yes, the "nice girl" has her problems too and the biggest of them seems to be with the humble telephone. Or more accurately, with the guys that are supposed to ring it!

Yes, understanding why that wonderful specimen that you met last weekend hasn't rang like he promised can be difficult. The main reason is, of course, that he never planned to ring you! Getting a phone number is a handy way of exiting a conversation easily and moving on. If he doesn't find anyone else that weekend, he may find your phone number crumpled in a ball in a pocket somewhere and give you a call. Now, if he was pretty out of it, when he finds your number he might not remember who you were! He is unlikely to ring you and admit that! Of course, if he was drunk, there's a great chance that he lost that scrap of paper anyway, which would make it difficult to ring, even if he could remember you!

In the cold light of day, he might not be able to summon up the courage to ring. This is because he will be unsure of the reception he is likely to get from you. It doesn't matter how well things went on the night; when everybody is sober, it's a whole different ballgame! For example, following probably the most romantic moment of my life thus far, I met a severe cold front when I rang just a couple of days later (when I said I would, of course!)! This does not help a man's confidence when ringing other women in the future!!

It is mostly men who get numbers and women who give them, so the agonising task of waiting by the phone is mostly endured by women. In olden times (pre-mobile phone, if you can imagine/remember that!), this was torturous. Staying indoors with the hall door ajar, not daring even to take a dump, nevermind a bath, just in case you missed that precious call! At least now you can bring your phone with you wherever you go.

You still can't will it to ring, no matter how hard you try, though!