Assistance With Strings Attached

I’m reading how people find it hard to ask for help, and I can’t help but recall something that happened to me during my undergraduate studies. I remember this particular day when I went out to buy food. I wasn’t a fan of eating outside but that day, I was so sad and I just wanted to do something to make myself happy. I had just lost a relative back at home, and the news kind of broke me down.

At the restaurant, I was very teary and I couldn’t even speak properly to the waiter so I apologized and wrote down my order. A guy sitting adjacent my table probably thought I was going through heartbreak so he asked if he could sit by me. I looked at him with my teary eyes and when I tried to nod, tears flowed down my cheeks.

After sitting down, he began lecturing me about how it’s fine to be heartbroken because that’s how you learn that the person wasn’t meant for you. He spoke about heart breaks and relationships. At a point, I started laughing and he thought that was him cheering me up but to me, it was just funny that he just assumed that I was going through relationship troubles.

He later asked to pay bills but I refused and thanked him for being thoughtful. He then insisted and normally I would have argued with him but he already even paid before asking me. And I wasn’t really in the mood to talk so I just thanked him and told him I was leaving.

He then asked if he could send me to wherever I was going. I said no again but he reminded me that it was too late and it would be safer for him to take me home. Looking at the time, I just agreed and allowed him to take me to my hostel. He asked for my number and I gave it to him without arguing because in that short time, I had come to realize he was very persistent.

He texted to check up on me for three consecutive days and on the fourth day, he asked me to be in a romantic relationship with him. I laughed because I thought he was kidding but then he said something that I probably will never ever forget in my life. He said that he thought it was obvious that he wanted to have something with me, and that was why he offered to pay my bills at the restaurant. And I should have seen it coming.

I was speechless for minutes and part of me wanted to just say whatever was on mind but I kept it together and told him I wasn’t interested. As usual, he was persistent but I didn’t even mind him again.

I kept thinking about what he would have actually done if I was the one who opened my mouth to ask him to pay my bills or take me home. This is the reason why most people don’t even ask for help because it’s becoming scary out there. The only people I mostly ask for help from without thinking twice is Family but for friends and especially males, if lI don’t have a great relationship with you, then I’m definitely not asking for any help from you.