Oh, I see some eyebrows lifting in disapproval. Hmm, why, I wonder? Is it my morals that they are worried about...
PERSPECTIVE
I like to go for walks if and when I get up early. Nothing is more refreshing and rewarding than the cool, early morning breeze playing havoc with my hair. However tightly I bound it, it seems to get away and scatter in all four directions, but I don’t really mind it; it makes me look good, this dishevelled look. Don’t believe it? Too bad if you can’t take my word for it, but why don’t you come and see how those cute guys jog just behind me! They appear out of nowhere the moment I enter the park and shadow me the whole time I am there. Last time, they were arguing loudly about who would approach me first to ask me out for breakfast! Come on, guys, don’t keep me waiting for ever. After all, after doing three kilometres a girl has to eat, right?
Oh, I see some eyebrows lifting in disapproval. Hmm, why, I wonder? Is it my morals that they are worried about? Well, I would let them know that it’s every girl for herself nowadays. Those who dress up demurely and ignore guys are more liable to stay single than girls like, well ... me.
Oh, I again sense disbelief and an ominous condemnation. Let me put this assertion of mine to you all out there who think I am wrong. In my first year of medical school, I hardly got a look from any guy in that particular way. Sure, I had a couple of very good students in my group, but they would only talk with me about things like research projects they wanted to take up in the second year or assessments. Here I was, a modest, good looking girl, who kept her head covered and wore no makeup. But F, who was just of average looks, was always going out with one guy or the other. In fact, she tried five before she finally settled down with J, a dashing final year bloke. They are now engaged and will be married once J completes his house job.
In my group, four out of five had their guys hooked before completing their second year and yours truly slumbered on, thinking virtue will be rewarded, as if I were Richardson’s Pamela!
Finally, with only a year to go, my eyes opened. I took tutorials from the experienced ones in my group who had already snared their future hubbies and had no reason to feel threatened, and managed to get a guy in another section of my year.
The long and short of this rambling is that gone are the days when girls would get good proposals by acting like Naik Parveens. In this day and age, you are on your own unless you are very rich or from a family where people get married within their own communities or get ex-communicated.
So you are probably wondering about my morning walk... or why am I letting these guys follow me. One, I don’t own the park. And secondly and more importantly, because I wanted to share my experience. Good luck, girls. Catch ‘em if you can.
- SK
