Too Shy

The first two years of college, I worked in the Dean of Students’ Office, which was located in Elizabeth Moore Hall. E. Moore, as we called it, is a rather stately building with a large lounge and a fireplace. It’s open to the public and students often go there to rest or study between classes. Right by the front entrance was a long, high paneled desk. Since I didn’t have an assigned desk, this is were I usually worked. I would stand there and do whatever chore I had been given for the day, and part of my job was to answer students’ questions as best I could and to escort them to various offices if they had an appointment with someone who worked in the building. So there I was ready to greed and assist whoever should come up to the desk.

E. Moore was a regular hangout for some students, and of course I got used to seeing them around. Many came up to the desk and chatted with the students who worked there or with the Dean’s secretary who was also stationed behind the desk.

One of these regulars was a boy named Eric. For some reason, he came to mind today. Eric was a cutie pie, just the type of boy that I adore. He was short, very thin, and he had a pretty face. He also wore insanely tight jeans that really showed off his little butt. (This was the mid ‘80s, so it wasn’t unusual for a young man to wear his jeans so tight.) Eric was very sweet, but the two of us hardly ever said a word to each other.

The truth is, I felt unworthy of Eric’s friendship back then, and I assumed he hardly ever talked to me because he just wasn’t interested in getting to know someone like me. But I don’t recall Eric coming in with many friends, and he spent an unusual amount of time standing there at the desk in order to exchange a few words with the secretary when she wasn’t busy or whoever else would give him the time of day. Looking back now, I realize that Eric was probably shy. Maybe he would have talked to me more if I had found the nerve to talk to him. Instead, I just stood there waiting for him to speak first without realizing he was probably doing the same thing.