Takes All Sorts

A forty mile bicycle ride on the Hillingdon circuit, surprised after the winter break to be keeping up okay with a group of lean determined veterans. The feeling of satisfaction however disappearing on being casually overtaken by a professional-looking women’s team on training drills. Oh well, to be expected really.

Settling in to a steady rhythm, spring morning’s heat building and sweat running. Pondering yesterday’s dinner party, chatting with an acquaintance of student days, not seen for ages. Never really been close, certainly no sexual connection, she was always hooked up with another man, the interesting thing being, he treated her, what’s the expression, like a piece of shit.

Thinking, riding round the bend, tucked behind another cyclist, Heathrow’s planes noisy overhead, good expression, that, treated like a piece of shit, emotionally accurate if vulgar. A common pattern with some women. Maybe men too, just haven’t met any. The first surprise being the loyalty with which she stayed true. The second being that the more she was treated like a piece of shit, the more true she stayed.

Back then, discussing it with friends, one woman opining, that’s just how the world works, women are attracted to men who are shits, sad but true. Well, true in her opinion.

Things on the cycle circuit becoming competitive, the women’s team lapping us and everyone deciding to stay with them. A pace being adopted beyond my ability to sustain it for long, but fun to try.

That idea, women being attracted to men who are shits, feels like rubbish. More like some women, not women in general. Thinking about Jenny, the reason she’s warm to me, well, who knows, what I think though, it’s that I treat her with, what’s that psychology expression, unconditional positive regard. That’s it. She’s warm to me because I value her, don’t judge her, especially, don’t treat her like a piece of shit.

Three miles with the women’s team and my whole body getting wobbly. No choice now, I’ve been giving my legs stern instruction to keep going, and they’ve stopped listening, I’ll just have to slow down.

Thinking about my acquaintance, the truth was, not that her man was attractive to women by virtue of being a shit, it’s that she had this strange need to be treated like a piece of shit, he just fulfilled it. Seems somehow that some women are like that, aren’t happy if they’re treated decently.

Well, takes all sorts to make the world. Watching the women whizzing round the circuit, coaches shouting at them, I wonder whether any of them have that strange need.