Dear Tell All: I’m a UW-Madison graduate student who’s always been involved with fellow academic types. I’ve been a bookworm since childhood and can’t do anything practical — certainly nothing that involves fixing machines. And I’ve never been attracted to anyone who could, either as a friend or a partner.
I got a flat tire on the bike path the other day and, needless to say, couldn’t take care of it myself. I hauled it into a bike shop and got waited on by the hunkiest bike mechanic I’ve ever seen. He wore a baseball cap, shorts, and tight T-shirt. His fingers were grease-stained and he needed a shower. His legs — I couldn’t help staring — were long and muscular.
His manner was cool to the point of indifference, and that was sexy all by itself. I almost fainted watching him work on my bike with supreme confidence.
When he finished, I said, “Is there anything else?” I meant, “Is there anything else wrong with the bike?” But he took it as a flirtatious comment. He looked into my eyes for the first time and said, thrillingly, “Could be.”
I left my bike there for a complete tune-up and put a five-dollar bill in the tip jar. I’ve been rehearsing lines in my head for when I go back, but I feel like an idiot for doing that. I’m more interested in a real relationship than a fling, and I doubt I’d have anything in common with the mechanic. Is it worth going to all this trouble just to satisfy my lust?
T.A.
Dear T.A.: Only a graduate student would ask the question “Is it worth going to all this trouble just to satisfy my lust?” While the rest of us would have jumped over the counter to maul the guy, you seem inclined to turn this into a multi-year research project.
Let me save you a trip to the library: YES! It’s worth going to all this trouble to satisfy your lust. It’s summer in Madison, for God’s sake. You’re ready to burst with sexual desire, and a super-sexy dude is flirting with you. What more do you need to know?
Plus, who’s to say there’s no chance of a real relationship? The mechanic may turn out to be an intellectual, albeit one with greasy fingers. Even if he isn’t, you need to open your heart to a wider range of people and experiences, T.A. You’ve changed your tire; now it’s time to change your outlook.
Do you have a question about life or love in Madison?
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