I was born to two parents who loved me as much as the next person's. At three I began formal schooling. From then on I was pushed to excel, and that I did. I was always at the top of my class, for I put little else before my studies. My family moved every few years, and I was frequently being transferred to upper division this and that, so I rarely had time to make friends. On rare occasion where I settled in long enough to be forgotten as "the new kid" I could never bring myself to branch out. Call it shyness.
I finished high school at fifteen and dove headfirst into a full college curriculum (before obtaining my diploma I was taking classes concurrently). Thoughts of courting female students were entertained briefly; I surmised that my age would be off-putting, so I bothered not in the slightest bit. My friend told me not to worry, that "anyone can get laid in college." I proved him wrong. Not that I made any serious attempts -- after all, I did have more free time. But the will I had not. I did not feel an emptiness. I did not feel the need for an intimate companion: what this "girlfriend" concept supposedly fulfilled.
While I pressed forth with my undergraduate work, my friends (both of them) dated off and on throughout their high school tenure, going to parties and dances, and all the other social activities I supposedly missed. Sometimes I would get forcefully dragged to one of these, where I would silently sit, safely secluded from the action. Each time a female would wander my way (in all likelihood sent by a friend), looking to pursue a conversation. If by chance she could hold interest long enough to learn I was already in college, she would express intrigue and say to the effect of, "You're pretty advanced." To this day no one has understood why I fervently decline that statement.
Years later I am living alone off of grants and a fairly lucrative job. I still have only two friends, who themselves are in their second year at their respective universities while I am in the middle of graduate school. Any free time is spent in my apartment. This summer I was coaxed by a girl into seeing a movie with her. That was the first time I have ever done any sort of leisurely/social activity with a female peer. Not even a date.
Interesting is Mr. Anderson's topic about his love life. He is entering into a world which I know through observation only. It is odd that he is compelled to romantically pursue a female, to the point where on the first day he has "narrowed down [his] potential relationships." Why does he do this? I will never fully grasp that. I will always be numb and embrace solitude. To him I would suggest he do the exact opposite of everything I've done. Perhaps that will beget happiness.
I finished high school at fifteen and dove headfirst into a full college curriculum (before obtaining my diploma I was taking classes concurrently). Thoughts of courting female students were entertained briefly; I surmised that my age would be off-putting, so I bothered not in the slightest bit. My friend told me not to worry, that "anyone can get laid in college." I proved him wrong. Not that I made any serious attempts -- after all, I did have more free time. But the will I had not. I did not feel an emptiness. I did not feel the need for an intimate companion: what this "girlfriend" concept supposedly fulfilled.
While I pressed forth with my undergraduate work, my friends (both of them) dated off and on throughout their high school tenure, going to parties and dances, and all the other social activities I supposedly missed. Sometimes I would get forcefully dragged to one of these, where I would silently sit, safely secluded from the action. Each time a female would wander my way (in all likelihood sent by a friend), looking to pursue a conversation. If by chance she could hold interest long enough to learn I was already in college, she would express intrigue and say to the effect of, "You're pretty advanced." To this day no one has understood why I fervently decline that statement.
Years later I am living alone off of grants and a fairly lucrative job. I still have only two friends, who themselves are in their second year at their respective universities while I am in the middle of graduate school. Any free time is spent in my apartment. This summer I was coaxed by a girl into seeing a movie with her. That was the first time I have ever done any sort of leisurely/social activity with a female peer. Not even a date.
Interesting is Mr. Anderson's topic about his love life. He is entering into a world which I know through observation only. It is odd that he is compelled to romantically pursue a female, to the point where on the first day he has "narrowed down [his] potential relationships." Why does he do this? I will never fully grasp that. I will always be numb and embrace solitude. To him I would suggest he do the exact opposite of everything I've done. Perhaps that will beget happiness.
