240 Hours

How long does one have to wait to get a call from someone you have given your number? The obligatory three days? A week? Or is it more? The answer seems to be – whenever the time is right.

After having given my number to someone I flirted vigorously with for months, I went in with the expectation that I would never receive a call. That way, I would reduce my hopes and not become hung up (pardon the pun) on whether I had made myself to look like a fool.

The situation of giving my number arose after a friend and I found out that my crush was leaving the restaurant we had frequented on a regular basis to satisfy my urge to flirt. So I was up against a time constraint. And so, on their last day, I gave the delectable waiter my number. The circumstances weren’t ideal, but I did what I set out to do.

My friends were impressed, encouraged and perhaps even inspired by my act of courage. And despite their best efforts to be motivational, I knew that by reducing my optimism and not expecting to get a call, it would lessen the fear of rejection. Rejection – the greatest evil of any singleton in my opinion.

Alas, I never did receive a call nor a text message. It’s been 240 hours. But whose counting?

My friends thought that at least a text message saying ‘Thanks but no thanks’ would have been a nice gesture. However, it’s probably wiser that my crush didn’t do that because actually seeing the rejection may have proven more difficult for anyone else not prepared for it.

Much has been said about the games that people play when they are out on the dating trail, so there is no need to regurgitate things that have already been said. But if I have learnt anything from the experience, it’s that you can only learn and understand how to best approach your next crush or date. It’s not a bump in the road, but rather a dimple on the road to the next adventure.