When I was a young lad I was shy around girls. Even if I say so myself there is nothing wrong with me. I am not quite six foot tall and back then I was a bit skinny with a messy mop of curly black hair. And while I am no Adonis by any means I am not the Elephant man either but for some reason girls didn't seem to like me very much or to be more accurate they just ignored me, which is worse.
But that all changed on one glorious day back in 1995 when I got a job on a short term contract to install some computers at a small insurance brokers in the centre of town. In those days people knew nothing about computers so once I'd installed them and had set everything up my job was to show everyone how to use them.
There were about twenty or twenty five employees at this brokers and most of them were men. The only women there worked in the HR department or in Accounts or something like that and in the main they were not much to look at. All except Harriet that is. She was an absolute stunner. Everyone called her "Sophia Loren" because she really did look like the famous Italian film actress. She had the same big eyes, wide mouth and straight nose and the same lovely short curly black hair and a lovely dark complexion, coffee coloured or olive which ever you prefer. You couldn't take your eyes off her. And her voice just added to her magnetism; it was a deep throaty purr just like a cats. The way she moved with effortless grace and elegance that was utterly mesmerising. Some of blokes in the main office thought her mouth a bit too wide or that her nose was a bit too long but that is just nitpicking in my opinion. Put them all together and the result was amazing.
The only problem with her though was that she was not easy to get along with because for one thing she had a reputation for being very bossy and for another she came across as a bit of a prude. She was very strict and demanding who didn't seem to have a sense of humour and she took herself very seriously and didn't suffer fools gladly. Whenever she talked to people it sounded like she thought she was talking to a very stupid five year old. But while she might not have been liked all the blokes in the office would have given their right arm to get her into bed though opinion was divided on what she would be like. Half thought that shagging her would be like shagging a plank of wood while others were of the the opinion that she would be pure filth on the grounds that "still waters run deep" and no water was as still and deep as "Sophia Loren" in their opinion. For what it was worth I thought she would be pure filth in bed. But no one asked for me so I kept it to myself.
I was in awe with her and whenever she walked through the main office I stopped what I was doing to stare at her open mouthed with my eyes on stalks. Her looks and her manner were both bewitching and intimidating and I felt that even just saying "good morning" to her would be playing with fire. I had heard all the stories about the blokes in the office who had tried and failed with her, some of them had taken their failure with good grace but others had muttered darkly that to turn them down must prove that either she was a dyke or frigid. Of-course it never occurred to me to chance my arm with her because I knew I would just make a complete fool of myself and end up looking like a right Charlie. Why on earth would a woman like her waste her time with a nobody like me? But I could dream and I did a lot of that.
Then one day I got a shock. She stopped by the desk where I was working and asked if I wouldn't mind stepping into her office when I had a moment. My mouth opened but no words came out. I cleared my throat and tried again
'Sure,' I croaked 'no problem.'
It turned out she wanted me to show her how to use the new technology to create files and directories, how to create spreadsheets and graphs and so on. In other words she wanted me to show her how to become an expert. Could I teach her all of that she asked and of-course I said "yes" I could. She wondered if I then had any objection to helping her during lunch hour or after work? If we did a little bit of studying every day she would have enough time to become proficient before my contract came to an end in a few weeks time. There was a small office on the 2nd floor that was hardly ever used. It was out of the way and quiet and we wouldn't be disturbed or distracted by the noise from the office. See what I mean? She didn't ask me she told me. She knew what she wanted and was very bossy about making sure she got it.
But I felt as if I had just won the lottery. Needless to say when the other blokes in the office heard about our private arrangement it put their noses out of joint quite a bit. They felt I had been given this privileged access that I just didn't deserve. After all I was just a skinny little runt and a schoolboy swot.
'She'll eat you alive mate,' they said.
'You wont know what to do with her,' they said.
'She's out of your league mate,' they said.
They all seemed to think that I was up to something and had planned it all even though I told them I was only teaching "Sophia Loren" on how to use this technology properly and that anyway it had been all her idea.
I was incredibly nervous while I waited for "Sophia Loren" to turn up for her first lesson. I suddenly began to have my doubts about the wisdom of accepting this assignment. She was nobodies fool and suppose she caught me out? Suppose I didn't know as much as I thought I did? Suppose I did or said something really stupid? She was always so stern and I could imagine her blowing her top if I didn't come up to scratch.
But I needn't have worried because once we got ourselves organised and started our lesson I realised I did know what I was talking about and "Sophia Loren" was a very quick and eager learner. But much better than that when she was alone with me she was quite different. She was relaxed, chatty and charming and even a bit flirtatious. It really surprised me and I began to wonder if we had got her all wrong. Maybe under that hard shell lurked a sex kitten who just wanted to play.
So I couldn't help but start wondering if maybe I shouldn't just try and ask her out. She seemed really nice when I was alone with her and she did seem to like me too. And I began to think; "why not?" what did I have to loose? Maybe the guys were right and I should be bolder. After all; if you don't ask you don't get, right? So one day, I screwed up my courage and after a couple of false starts I blurted out if she would like to go to the pub with me after work for a drink.
And she said "no" very politely but it was a definite "no" all the same. I could feel my face going red. What a fool I was. What an idiot! Why on earth did I think that a woman like this would go out for a drink with a weedy little schoolboy swot like me?
'Oh okay. No problem,' I replied meekly, 'another time maybe?'
'I don't think so,' said "Sophia Loren" bluntly in a voice like a slap around the face. I felt utterly humiliated.
There was a long ugly silence and then "Sophia Loren" said, 'shall we get on?'
Just like that. As if nothing had happened. She had just swatted me to one side like I was nothing.
'Well, it's not fair,' I blurted out.
'I beg your pardon?'
'I'm being nice to you. Why can't you be nice to me?'
'And what is that supposed to mean exactly?'
'I'm doing you a favour and all I'm asking in return is you let me buy you one lousy drink?'
'Look,' began "Sophia Loren" sounding weary as if she was going to say to me what she had said a hundred times before to a hundred other men, 'You're sweet boy. But ...'
But I didn't want to hear the rest, 'never mind,' I said, 'I know. I'm just a creep.'
I felt so utterly stupid. I looked round hoping that a hole had opened up somewhere so that I could jump into it and disappear. But unfortunately there was no hole.
'I'd better go,' I said gloomily as I got to my feet getting ready to make a run for it.
'I'm sorry,' began "Sophia Loren" not sounding sorry at all.
'Never mind.'
I was totally crushed. I know. I get it. I had thought that because she had been so friendly towards me it meant that she liked me; fancied me even. But she didn't. She was only being friendly because she needed my help to get what she wanted. I was so upset and now also a bit angry. I had made a fool of myself and now she was making a fool of me too. Well, I might be a fool but that doesn't mean I'm going to let people treat me like one.
I stood by the door and turned to look at her and said, 'maybe these lessons isn't such a good idea after all. Maybe you should enrol onto a course or something,' and then I left desperately holding back the tears. I knocked off early that day and as I stormed out of the office I couldn't make up my mind whether to kill myself or half the people in England. Going to bed that night I was determined to ring up the office to call in sick or even better, resign. But in the end I did neither. I might have been whipped but I didn't want to run as well.