Today I was in the library working on an assignment at some standing computers. I usually listen to music when I work, but this time my headphones were off because my friends would come up to talk to me and it was annoying to constantly put headphones on and take them off and put them back on again. So I simply left them off next to me on the desk and kept working on my assignment. All of a sudden, this guy starts talking to me. When I look at him, he's wearing a black shirt, camouflage shorts, and sunglasses...indoors. He sticks his phone out to me and says "put your number in before I don't want it anymore." I'm looking at this guy wondering how I should respond. Should I ignore him? No, he looks like he's determined. Should I rip into him? No. Maybe I didn't hear him right. So I ask him "I'm sorry, what?" And he repeats, still holding out his phone with an air just do it already, "give me your number before I don't want it anymore."It is at this point I decide to put him in check. I say, "Oh no, you've got it all wrong. When you approach a girl, you're supposed to say 'hi my name is', not 'give me your number before I don't want it anymore'. So let's try it again. How about you show me your eyes." He removes his shades to reveal kind eyes. He's obviously not dangerous or crazy. I continue with "What's your name? How old are you? What are your classes? Do you ACTUALLY attend this school? What's your major?"
He answers all my questions and even pulls up his schedule online to prove he's a student. We have a whole discussion on wearing shades inside and why it is (or isn't) appropriate. I told him that when he approached me like that he came off as a butthole so he should use a different strategy next time. We discussed China versus Japan, the leaders in the Rap/HipHop industry, and why I can't understand anime (and trust me, I genuinely tried). All in all, he wasn't a terrible guy. He wasn't even cocky or conceited. He was just a nice Nigerian guy who wants to be a nurse approaching a smart girl with a fake personality that she knew he didn't really have.
Real knows real. It's much better to be genuine and be yourself than to try to make friends pretending to be another person. And if you're not being real with me, just like I did with this guy, I will call you out on it. Moral of the story: stay true yourself. That, or come up with a better pickup line.
