THE CONFIRMED BACHELOR DOWN THE BLOCK

The Confirmed Bachelor Down the Block is probably not at all mysterious but in walking my dog I've met a log of single women who Wonder About Him.  They want to know if he has ever married, if he has children, and (though he is in a macho profession) if he is gay, or whatever!  Some are curious and some are looking for a man and think he's handsome.

I talk to this Confirmed Bachelor once in a while.  I pass by his house a lot because I walk my dog past it on my way to the store and I notice that he is a person who keeps himself immaculate and so is his house and yard.  He has the time and inclination to have everything clean and in place.

He is smiling and happy.  He has friends - male friends.

They seem to spend the weekends watching sports together.

He's hard working and up early to go to various job sites.

A few times he was on his porch with one of his male friends and me and the dog went over there to talk to them.  We joked and laughed a lot.

Then, he joked that he was "available," but the way he was joking, I wasn't sure.  Was he baiting me?  Was he making a joke of his Confirmed Bachelorhood?  Did he want me to ask him out?  Did he think I was only talking to him because I'm looking for a man?

Well, I'm NOT looking for a man, but I wouldn't mind making a new friend.

I backed off even making a friend of him.  For a few weeks I avoided walking that side of the street with my dog.

I thought maybe he would be surprisingly complicated if I tried to, that I would have to give him too many assurances that I was not trying to pick him up, date him, or be anything other than a platonic friend.  I thought it would be over doing it to go to him and say, "I am only looking for friendship."

Was he wary of me?  Is he "afraid of women?"  Now I may be more curious about the Confirmed Bachelor than most of the other women who want to know about him.

IF HE WANTS A GIRLFRIEND HE IS MISSING OUT ON SOME DECENT PROSPECTS!

Sister