Whine Goggles

Story Sent in by Joan:

When he met me, Manuel said he thought I was hot. After we had been at the bar for an hour, he had packed in a little over three glasses of wine. "Have I told you yet that you're hot?" he asked me.

"You said it before," I reminded him. "Thanks."

"You're hot," he said.

"Thanks."

"You're so freaking hot," he said again.

"Thanks."

He pointed at me. "You... are hot."

I asked him, "What's the hardest engineering job you've ever had?"

He squinted at me and asked, "Why would you ask that?"

I reminded him, "Because you're an engineer."

"No, I mean why wouldn't you say 'thank you' after I complimented you?"

"I did. Every time you told me how hot I was."

His voice raised. "Not this last time! Why doesn't anyone ever say thank you anymore? Especially women? All the women! Everywhere! Every woman, everywhere! What is their problem? What is my problem? Why do I stand here and put up with it?"

He was actually sitting, not standing. Still, I felt that pointing that out would only infuriate him further. I let him rant on and on and on until he drank more wine and asked me, "What were we talking about?"

I told him, "The hardest engineering job you've ever had."

"Oh. Yeah. Uh..." he blabbed on and I didn't really listen, as I had long since stopped being interested in him.