Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them

Chapter 1 The Most Romantic Man in the World It's the Rodgers and Hammerstein way to fall in love. You see him across a crowded room, your eyes meet, and that certain thrill surges through you. Your palms grow damp when he stands near you; your heart beats faster; everything in your body seems to be more alive. This is the dream of happiness, sexual fulfillment, and completion. This man will appreciate and be responsive to you. Just being near him is exciting and wonderful. When it happens it's overpowering. We've come to call it romantic love. Rosalind was 45 when she met Jim. She is a striking woman, tall, with auburn hair and a trim figure, which she works hard to keep in shape. She has a distinctive style of dressing that shows off her height and her artistic flair. She owns an antique shop and is a successful dealer, collector, and appraiser of advertising art, which is her specialty. Rosalind was married twice before and has a grown son. She was excited about meeting Jim because she'd heard so much about him from her friends. They took her to hear him play with a local jazz group. Afterward, when the four of them went out for a drink, Rosalind felt very drawn to Jim, who was tall, dark, and extremely good-looking. Jim and I were very attracted to each other. We talked about kids and music. He told me he'd been married before and that his two kids lived with him. I was impressed with that. He was interested in hearing about my antique shop because he was doing some furniture refinishing and was interested in the market in general. He asked me if he could see me again the next night. When the check came, I could see he didn't have much money, so I volunteered to make us dinner at my place for our next date. He took my hand and squeezed it and just caught my eyes with his for a moment. I could tell he was grateful that I'd understood his position. The next day I thought about him constantly, and when he came over that night it was wonderful. After dinner I put on the music to A Star Is Born, being the romantic nut that I am, and so there we were, dancing to this music in my living room; he's holding me so close and the world is just spinning around me. Here's this man who really likes me, who's strong, who's willing to work on a relationship. All this stuff is flashing through my mind while I'm floating away with him, feeling so terrific. It was the most romantic thing that ever happened to me. Jim was 36 when he met Rosalind. He was as carried away as she was by their romance; she was the woman he'd been looking for all his life. As he later told me: She was beautiful and had a figure that wouldn't quit. She had her own business and was making a go of it by herself. She'd raised her son and seemed to have done a good job of that. I'd never met anyone like her. She was outgoing and bubbly and enthusiastic about everything I was doing with my life, even about my kids. She was perfect. I started calling all my friends to tell them about her. I even called my mother. I tell you, I never felt like that before. I never thought about anyone so much or dreamed about them all the time like I dreamed about her. I mean, this was really different. After their third date, Rosalind started writing her name with his last name to see how it looked. She canceled social engagements for fear of missing his calls; and Jim didn't disappoint her. Instead of behaving like a "typical man," he became as involved with her as she was with him. He always phoned when he said he would no more waiting for weeks for a man to call and he never put his work ahead of his need to see her. Together, they were on an exciting emotional roller-coaster. My client LaurForward, Susan is the author of 'Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them' with ISBN 9780553051353 and ISBN 0553051350.