A forgotten myth...

I always knew that the male kind from Jane Austen books never existed. Well, at least in my world. But, I secretly hoped that guys would be gallant. As a matter of fact, every girl does.

I am sure that most of the male population say that they are gallant/chivalrous. "Hey, I pay for my girlfriend", one might say to prove that he is gallant. Mind you, he does not want to be gallant; he just wants to prove that he is. Monetary gallantry is not really gallantry. She is your girlfriend. Pay for her. There is nothing to be proud about that.

In their minds, gallantry towards the general female species probably just means not stamping you on the foot in a crowded bus or in some rare cases letting you board a bus before he does. Guys today probably live by that definition.

At times, I am appalled that men are so oblivious to the simplest of courtesies.

Don’t let her walk, when you drive.

Don’t let her wait, while you probably are still asleep.

Don’t take her for granted.

Don’t assume.

For some odd reason, men apply the above only to family and of course the girlfriend. Mind you even friends are not included in this small circle in their small minds.

He might be your friend. You might be upset that he wasn’t caring enough. If you confront him the answer might be like, “Sorry. It never struck me” If you don’t, he is happily oblivious to the fact that you are upset, and expect you be all rosy when he talk the next time. And if you are not, before you know it, he is complaining to his friends that you have been acting uptight recently, and that he does not know the reason why.

What is even worse? You talk to you brother/another guy friend about it, and he says, “Don’t make a big deal out of it.” This is when your BFF comes into play. There are a few things that only girl friends can provide, and that being unconditional love, care, and support. Because she knows that, she needs it too. You can whine all you want. She will not advise or criticize. She'll just say, "It's alright. I'm there for you".

It is rare to have a male friend who will treat you like you want to. One who is worried about you. Worried that you are safe. Worried that you happy. Reading between the lines. Hoping that you are alright. If you do have a one. He is truly a George Knightley indeed.