Now I Understand Those Movie Star Women

So a rather frightening thing happened to me last night. I was at the shelter volunteering, when the manager pulled me aside. Normally a calm woman who doesn't give a rat's ass about volunteers, she had a look on her face that screamed "law suit."

She brought me to her office and informed me that a hispanic man had just been exited from the program. She informed me that he'd been aggressive toward clients and inappropriate toward staff and volunteers, and enough complaints had been registered against him that he had to leave. She then continued to tell me that one of hte final straws had been Monday, when I'd been monitoring his floor. There had been an incident in a bathroom in which he told another man to keep his eyes off of me. While there was no violence while I was on the floor, it came to blows a few hours later.

In conclusion, I, of course, had no idea that the man considered me his personal property, and in all reality had never behaved inappropriately toward me. We spoke in Spanish, and discussed books, all completely innocent, while the other man enjoyed showing me pictures of his daughters. Once again, innocent.

It's surprising, sometimes, the way perception changes a situation. Something that I found harmless someone else took quite personally. I feel for the man who was exited, but his behavior was overly aggressive, and I am not surprised that he was asked to leave. I'm just surprised that I was a factor in it.

Is this how those women on tv and movies feel when men start fighting over them? Granted, in the Hollywood case they are always big, beautiful, nearly-perfect men, and there is true emotion existing between the three, but noneheless, I feel like the foundational feelings would be the same; confusion, disbelief, and a bit of anger that men consider fighting between THEMSELVES a way to resolve a situation involving another person.

I don't belong to anyone, and while there is a certain romance to a man fighting for (over) you, it's also incredibly demeaning. My life is my own, thank you very much, and I think I will have a slightly different viewing on love triangles in the future. Fighting for affection is not something that can be done with fists or angry words.

Regardless, that is how life in the shelter can occassionally be incredibly interesting and provide wonderful insights and annecdotes for my writings. It will be interesting to see how I fit this one in.

In other news. . .this whole New York thing is hard! I want to quit. And nobody wants to be my endocrinologist and give me a root canal. Seriously! I'm willing to pay, shouldn't that be enough?

All of my love and cookies,
Jess