Games people play

Another blogger recently reminded me of the existence of a particularly bilious DC blog that's aimed at damaged male 20-somethings who're attempting to play "The Game."

Me, I wasn't particularly aware of this construal of the mating dance as "The Game." Well, no. Better: I thought it was non-zero-sum and more lighthearted; y'know, more of a game? As in, something both parties might enjoy? The point is, through a combination of expatriatude, age, and willful indifference to American pop culture, I seem to have ended up in a position in which the 20-something mind has become utterly mysterious from my perspective. Which is ordinarily, I have to say frankly, neither a great nor pressing problem for me.

However, this evening, K and I went to a gathering we sometimes attend. (And yes, I know: burying the lede again. There will be future posts. For the sake of this anecdote, you need only know this: there is temporary and affectionate cohabitation; there is not coupledom.) And at this gathering, we were convivial a bit (separately); we canoodled a bit (together).

I spent some time chatting with B, who is somewhere in the zone between acquaintance and friend. B is whip-smart, accomplished, and amiable. He is also physical perfection itself, which I say with aesthetic and not lustful appreciation. B is possibly as old as 24.

B was starting to plan travels in a part of the world I'm familiar with, and I casually offered to give him some suggestions once his itinerary shaped up. Later on this evening, there was an email from B asking to take me up on my offer, and confessing his ardent attraction to me.

To which, dear Readers, I must say:

WTF?
I mean, just, really, now: WTF?

Seriously, my first thought was that he must somehow be poking fun at me. Which isn't quite as pathetic as it sounds: B and I have a history of persiflage. He's also very difficult to stop looking at once one starts. Perhaps he caught me lingering, and this was teasing payback?

And then I moved on to: who says something like that to someone who was, hours earlier, kissing a third party in their presence?

And then: if he is serious, is this Game? If so: his or my version?

Readers, I find his email uninterpretable; the mind behind it, opaque. Are young men in the habit, these days, of propositioning older women simply because the potential payoff (however diminished when compared with potential mates from within their peer group) outweighs the cost? Or simply because it's a slow night? Or because their stamp collection lacks a cougar?

I don't get it. I don't trust it. And I sure as hell don't know how to respond to the email.