There are guys who know how to talk to women. Take the Gardener, for example. I don't know if it's because he had several sisters, or because he's dated so many women through the years and took very good notes. But he could teach "How to Talk [or Not Talk] to Women" and become very wealthy doing so.
He knew that when I told him I was thinking about something, about buying something or doing something or going somewhere, I wasn't asking for him to instruct me in how to do it. He knew that women talk, that women need to mull things over and that by talking about these things—to themselves, to their girlfriends, to their men friends, to anyone who will listen—they work these things out.
He knew, on the other hand, that when I said to him, "I'm having problems with my lights/water/heat/car/whatever. What do I need to do about it?", when I asked a direct question, that I was asking for his help, for his expertise, and that I would welcome whatever advice he could give. I would listen carefully to and heed that advice.
I wonder if that's why he has so many women friends. He has, probably, ten women whom he can call any hour of the day, any day of the week, and they'll drop what they're doing to spend time with him. He is the ultimate Good Guy.
I miss him horribly. I miss having someone to whom I can say, "I'm thinking of buying a [whatever]", who will appropriately respond with probing questions rather than directives of where I should go to find and how much I should pay for my [whatever].
You want to keep your women around? Don't would/should them.
And to the Gardener, on the off-chance that he's still reading here: "You're missed. Enormously."
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