Single. With a Shred of Hope

As you might have noticed last week, I am currently a little (read: a LOT) cynical towards the male species as a whole. But despite my extremely bitter outlook on men, I had a realization today that gave me some hope.

By Emmy

Alright, so every week, I volunteer at this after school program for inner city kids. And every week, I work with this grad student who gives me hope for men. Let’s call him Nick. I have the biggest crush on him. I want him even more than I want the spring line at J. Crew, which is saying something.

I’ve been working with Nick all year, and have had a stupid, schoolgirl crush on him since day one. He is so attractive (tall, a little stubble on his cheeks, a smile that takes over his whole face) that any girl would fall in love with him at first glance. But there are plenty of hot guys out there, and many of them also happen to be giant jerks. It’s Nick’s personality that sets him apart and makes me optimistic about my dating future.

Nick is really intelligent, super witty and has a great soul. The guy works with kids, for God’s sake, and he’s so good with them, too. Just last week he spent a half hour making a super hero mask for a second grader determined to develop an alter ego. I watched, my heart melting.

It might sound silly, but as I was playing an intense game of tag (more of a workout even than that Zumba class at the gym) with Nick and ten screaming children, I had a renewed faith in men. Not because Nick was chasing me (a dating scenario most college girls don’t get to enjoy often enough), but because I saw with my own two eyes a guy who actually was the complete package.

It doesn’t matter if my relationship with Nick never develops beyond playing and reading with kids once a week; for now, I am alright just knowing that there are good guys out there.  I have hope that I will eventually find one of my own, even if I have to deal with all those jerks before I get there.

But if Nick does want to play a few (sexy) games with me, I wouldn’t be opposed to that either….