Tip #4
Don't Confuse Yourself.
You're A Man Dating A Man.
When I lived in Washington, DC, I briefly dated a man named Greg. Greg had a wife once. When I met him he was divorced and dating men. Greg was a few years older than me and whenever we went out he purposely held doors open for me. The intention was nice but this obvious display of something was uncomfortable for me. He often sped to the door and stood there holding it open until I walked through. I tried to return the favor but whenever I opened a door for him he would walk behind me and grab the door from me so that I would have to walk in first or he would pull the other door and walk through his own door. "You open doors for me why can't I open doors for you?" He would smile and not answer the question.
Sometimes when I argued with him about anything he would say, "You must be hungry, let's get you something to eat." I would become infuriated because he wasn't listening to me and chalked up my problems with him to hunger. I soon began to feel like the "little woman" because of how he treated me and wanted me to behave. But I'm no "little woman." I'm a man, who doesn't want to be talked down to and who doesn't particularly care to receive flowers or have a door opened for him. Before we broke up I did, however, let him take total control in one area. Whenever we went to dinner, he wanted to pay and I let him.
About the Author
Nigel Bartholomew is also the author of Private Sessions?a story of a young man who wrestles with love, loss, family, career, and identity. He lives in the US and the Caribbean.
