S and me have been talking. About men. Or rather, the lack of them in our lives. She thinks it’s gotta do with the place we are in.

Minutes of our discussion over lunch-session in the last few weeks:

· The ‘macho’ guys are jerks.
· Or dopeheads.
· Or wannabes.

· The ‘nice’ ones are wuss
· Or colourless
· Or can’t ever really let go of mama’s apron strings.

Or they are dumb.

· The intelligent ones are Warped.
· Or so intelligent that they are misfits and really belong to a museum showcase than out walking and talking in the world.

· The ones who earn money are techie and nerdy.
· The artsy guys are fake.
· Or so ‘with it’ that they lose their sense of balance and think the ‘yo’ thing to do is to smoke up and be ‘with it’.
· Or give pseudo-intellectual bullshit on why ‘free love’ is okay. (Damn, can’t they even be original?)

End of lunch-session we finally ask ourselves the gut-wrenching, hopeless question, “Where are the sensible, balanced men?”

“ They don’t exist,” I say glumly scanning my mind for ONE man who’d fit the bill. And silently add to myself as an afterthought… “Or, they are hiding.”

“How do we bring them out?” I wonder.

“No the question is how do we bring out the right ones,”

“Yes, I agree,” I say. “The wrong ones are only too willing to agree.”

“That’s your fault,” she says. “ You are much too naïve. You look like you were born yesterday and you look like you are easy game.”

Me makes a mental note to go practice my “I’m-a-b****-so-don’t-you-dare-mess-with-me” look.

“REALLY NOW??” I ask astonished and eager to hear this out cos S can be very, very forthright. And I wanna hear the truth about me. Also, S has this way of looking at things from a guy’s perspective and I am eager to hear what she has to say.

She continues thoughtfully, “You always look so lost”.

Me makes a mental note to go practice my “I’m-a-big-girl-so-don’t-you-dare-mess-with-me” pout.

“Lost? Like how? Like I am in my own world?

“No, not quite like that” she says and I perk up my ears. “Well,” she says scanning my face, “The problem is you are all ‘eyes’. And when you are disturbed (which is almost always) they become so wide that you seem to be screaming “help” silently.”

AH HA!!!