Chapter Six
Chance
I stared at the world map on my computer screen, wondering if I should make an educated choice or just a random pick. I had been stagnant for the past year and still had a year left on my teaching contract, but I was starting to get restless again.
I thought back to a few years ago when I called to wish my father a happy sixty-fourth birthday. I was living in Nepal at the time.
“Don’t you get tired of moving around so much?” Dad had asked me.
I had checked the time on my watch, impatient to get on with my day. “No, I enjoy it.”
“Why?”
“I like immersing myself in different cultures.”
“So, make a few trips every year. You don’t have to move. How will you ever settle down and have a family of your own?”
“Dad, we’ve been over this. I don’t want to settle down. And, I certainly don’t want to have a family.”
“That’s a ridiculous thing to say.”
“What’s ridiculous is your refusal to accept that fact that I’m nothing like you.”
I had intended to be insulting, and as silence had pooled on the other line, I had realized that I had succeeded in hurting my father.
“I just called to wish you a happy birthday, okay, Dad?” I had said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, son,” he had replied, after a moment. He had sounded weak and tired. “Thank you for calling.”
To this day, that conversation still haunted me. I turned my attention back to the world map in front of me, wondering if perhaps I should consider Australia for a year or two. I was about to start researching Western Australia when there was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I said.
The door opened, and a young man walked in. I was pretty sure he was one of my students, but I couldn’t place his face. I raised my eyebrows. “Can I help you?”
“Hi, Professor; my name is Jason.”
“You can call me Chance,” I told him, disliking the formality of being referred to as “professor.”
“Great,” Jason said, as he gave me a dopey smile. “Awesome.”
“I take it you’re in one of my Econ classes?” I asked, trying to temper the impatience in my voice.
“I attend the Monday lecture and the Thursday class,” he replied, as he took a seat opposite me. “Great teaching, by the way.”
“I’m going to assume you’re not here simply to compliment my teaching?”
“Uh…no… I’m not.”
Instantly, he started stuttering over his words, and I detected some embarrassment in the way he held himself.
“If this is about amending the grades on your paper, then I’m sorry, all grades are final.”
“Ah, no, no,” Jason said quickly. “That isn’t what this is about.”
“Okay,” I said, raising my eyebrows. “Then what is it about?”
“Well, it’s sort of a personal matter,” he said, at last.
“A personal matter?” I repeated.
I had been told that it was possible that students might seek out their teachers for advice, but I had never given my students the impression that I was the counseling sort, so I was surprised Jason had chosen to seek me out. Still, I was figured it couldn’t hurt to listen, and I was curious besides.
“All right,” I said. “What’s your problem?”
“Well, the truth is… I’m having some girl trouble.”
“Problems with the girlfriend, huh?”
“Actually… it’s getting myself the girlfriend that’s the problem.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Ah,” I said. “Forgive me, Jared—”
“It’s Jason,” he corrected.
I looked the guy up and down and tried to get the measure of him. He was not exactly bad looking, but he was entirely forgettable, at least in my opinion. He had boring brown eyes and dark scanty hair. He had a dusting of freckles on his face, and he had a simpering smile that bordered on being creepy. I wondered how a girl would view him and I decided that many would find him desperate and unappealing.
“Jason,” I nodded. “Right. Well, Jason, I guess I’m just wondering why you haven’t gone to a friend with this problem. Why come to me?”
“Well, because all of my friends tend to have the same problems with girls,” Jason admitted. “And I need someone who…has experience.”
I raised my eyebrows. “How do you know I have experience?” I asked pointedly.
“Come on, man,” he said immediately. “Girls go nuts over you… I think most of the women who attend your lectures are there to stare at you rather than listen to you.”
“And, you know this because…”
“I’ve heard them talk about you,” he revealed, and instantly my interest in the conversation increased tenfold.
“Have you?”
“Apparently, it’s more than just your looks,” Jason informed me. “They like the fact that you’re so confident. So, I was hoping that you could help me out.”
“By teaching you how to behave around women?” I asked incredulously.
“I guess so,” he nodded. “I’ve been living on campus for almost four years now, and I haven’t seemed to make much progress. I’ve dated here and there, but it always ends after a couple of dates.
“And forget about taking things to the next level. I’ve never managed to get any of the girls I’ve dated to sleep with me. So, I was hoping that you could give me some advice, a couple of pointers that will help me…take things to the next level with a woman.”
“Let me just clarify something first,” I said. “Are you looking to have a relationship with a woman or are you looking to get laid? Because those are two very different goals.”
“I’m aware,” he nodded. “And the truth is, either one is fine by me.”
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. I wanted to linger a little longer on the “hot” reputation I had apparently earned for myself, but I decided that I needed to at least feign maturity in this particular scenario. But I was secretly pleased to know I was the resident hot professor on campus. I made a mental note to tell Sophie about that. She would get a kick out of it, and I would get a chance to gloat a little.
“Have you had many girlfriends?” I asked, trying to get an idea of the kind of guy Jason really was. He struck me as a little odd, but at the moment, I couldn’t see why it was so hard for him to meet a girl.
“I had a girlfriend in high school,” he admitted. “We broke up during my freshman year in college.”
“Why?”
“She moved to England for her degree,” he replied. “The distance broke us up.”
“Fair enough,” I nodded. “And since then…”
“Nothing,” he admitted. “And, I’d like that to change. I’m desperate.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
“What is?” Jason asked, leaning in a little.
“Women have a sixth sense about these things,” I told him. “The women you approach probably sense your desperation, and trust me, there’s no bigger turn-off.”
“How do I change that?”
“Hide it under confidence,” I said.
“I try,” Jason insisted. “I only end up scaring them all away.”
I did my best to hide the smile on my face. “Coming on too strong shouldn’t be confused with confidence. You need to be polite and respectful. You need to express interest without being so persistent that you end up freaking the girl out.”
Jason bit his lip, and I knew that he had probably freaked a few girls out that way. “So, what do you suggest?”
“Is there a girl you like at the moment?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied immediately. “I picked her because I knew she would be achievable, too.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Excuse me?” I said. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well, she’s not the hottest girl in the room, if you know what I mean,” Jason said, giving me a wink I didn’t appreciate. “She’s pretty, but she’s pretty in a plain sort of way.”
“And, you thought because guys weren’t lining up for her that you’d stand a chance?”
“Yeah.”
I suppressed a sigh and leaned back in my seat. I had already lost patience with this conversation and with Jason. But I decided to see it through and then get him the hell out of my office.
“If you’re just pursuing this girl because you think you can’t get anyone better, then maybe you should consider another girl,” I told him. “Pick a girl you actually like and treat her with respect; chances are, she’ll give you a shot. Every woman likes to feel she’s special. Even if what she’s after is meaningless sex, she’s less likely to sleep with you if she doesn’t feel respected.”
He nodded, but I wasn’t sure if he truly understood what I was telling him.
“So…how do you get women?” Jason asked bluntly.
“It’s simple,” I said. “I go up to them, introduce myself, and start a conversation.”
“That’s it?”
“There are no good pick-up lines,” I said. “Remember that. Start with a hello and go from there. A pick-up line reads like desperation, and it makes you seem less confident in yourself.”
“What if she shuts you down five seconds later?”
“If you’re really interested in that particular girl, then show her that you’re interested by being persistent,” I said. “But don’t go crazy… just be simple, straightforward, and sincere. Women want to know that they’re valued for more than just their bodies.”
“So, I should…talk to her about her likes and dislikes?”
“Show her that you’re interested in her opinions, show her that you care about getting to know her. Invest some time into getting to know her, and you’ll win her over.”
“Man,” Jason said, shaking his head. “I really wish this came naturally to me. Do you have a girlfriend?”
I frowned, unwilling to answer the question or share my personal life with one of my students. Besides, I was getting some strange vibes off of Jason and wanted to end our little consultation as soon as possible.
“Jason, I have more papers to finish grading. So, if that’s all…”
“Oh right,” he nodded. “Sure… I should let you get back to stuff. Thanks for coaching me through this. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said quickly, hoping Jason wouldn’t make this a habit.
“See you in class then, Chance,” he said, as though he hadn’t heard my previous statement. He waved at me from the threshold of my office as though we were old friends. Then he walked out, with another dopey grin on his face.
“Geez,” I said, to myself.
Jason definitely seemed like an oddball. The fact that he had sought out a teacher’s help to pick up women proved that. I was instantly glad that I hadn’t encouraged an open-door policy with my students. It was a little more than I had signed up for.
I wondered for a moment if I should have asked Jason about the dark-haired girl I had been preoccupied with for the last few weeks. But after some consideration, I was glad I hadn’t. It was better that I knew nothing about her. It made it easier for me to resist my baffling attraction to her.