December 10, 2013

Boyfriend Lite

"Well, he's always had a thing for you," Nina said. "Pass the skim?"

I slid the canister of skim milk her way. "I still think a part of it is because I negged him. He's just not used to hearing the word no."

"Oh, I'm sure that has something to do with it," Nina said. "That got his attention, but then I think he may have developed real feelings for you along the way." She'd been stirring the milk into her coffee, but now she paused. The current carried the wooden stirrer around and around the edge of the coffee cup. "Oh my God," she said, "do you think he started dating Sam to prove to you that he's capable of more than just a hook up?"

"Wow," I said, "I never even considered that."

"I think it's a real possibility." Nina gave the counter top a confident little smack.

"Think what's a possibility?" Ashley asked. She'd been in the bathroom, and I handed her the latte we ordered for her.

Nina shook her watch free from her sleeve. "We'll tell you on the train. We're going to miss it if we don't go now."

We gathered our things and hurried out of Starbucks to catch the 12:11 back to Penn Station.

Richard and I had treated each other like polite acquaintances all Thanksgiving day. After dinner, he made up some bullshit excuse about having to take the train back to the city—he didn't even stay for dessert, which when Nance makes her infamous oatmeal toffee brownie bites, is just blasphemous. Nina and Ashley diagnosed him with a feelings freakout.

"Do you think I should just pretend like nothing ever happened?" I asked.

"That depends," Nina said as the train wove closer to NYC. "What do you want out of this?"

I thought for a moment. "There is obviously...something...between us," I said. "Some kind of sexual tension or something. But I just think it would be a disaster if we tried to date."

"And he has a girlfriend," Ashley pointed out.

"And he has a girlfriend. So even if we did try something he'd have to break up with her, and," I sighed, already exhausted by what it would take for us to even get to a place where we could go on just one date, "it's too messy."

"If I were you," Ashley said, "I'd just let him know you love him as a friend but it can't be anymore than that. Nicely, of course."

"Of course," I said. "I do love Richard as a friend and I would never want to hurt his feelings."

I decided to give it a few days before reaching out to him, but he beat me to the punch. On Monday morning I woke up to a text from him, asking if we could grab a drink. He said he'd been doing a lot of thinking, and he really needed to speak to me. We made plans to meet up later in the week. I knew that after a mini vacation, my first few days back at work were going to be long ones.

Frank called me into his office first thing Monday morning. Without even asking me how my Thanksgiving was, he informed me he had made an exciting deal over the break. "It's a gamechanger." His eyes twinkled behind his tiny little glasses. I waited patiently for him to continue.

"We've acquired the rights to ten of Sylvia Plath's unpublished poems—written from when she was in college—as well as some of her private journaling."

"Wow," I breathed. The Bell Jar is quite possibly my favorite book ever. I've reread it so many times that there's hot pink nail polish binding the tears in the spine.

Frank's lips curled into a self-satisfied smile. "I know." He perched on the edge of his desk. "The next order of business is for us to find a writer to introduce her work and maybe even ruminate through out and transition between the poetry and the chunks of free form. We're going to want a big name for this. I'd love to get someone like Jonathan Franzen."

"Don't you think it should be a female writer?"

Frank's beady little eyes narrowed in on me. "It can be. It doesn't have to be."

"But," I swallowed, nervously. It's not easy going up against Frank. "The Bell Jar is like the original American feminist novel."

"Men can be feminists," Frank snipped.

"Of course they can," I said, quickly. "But don't you think it's going to have more of an impact with a woman writer?"

Frank pushed his glasses further up his nose. I'd irritated him, sent that wall up between us again. "What will make it impactful is a great writer. Gender shouldn't matter."

I nodded, even though I didn't agree with him at all. I was actually crushed by his reaction—it was something I felt he should intuitively understand. Saying gender didn't matter when it came to Sylvia Plath's work was like saying race didn't matter in a biography about Martin Luther King Jr.—it mattered in the most fundamental sense. "Would you like me to do a memo with some suggestions? And then I can reach out to gauge interest from there?"

"Get it to me by the end of the day," Frank said, tersely.

I went back to my desk and started my research right away. I gave Frank some options I knew would make him happy, and I threw in one dark horse. It was a long shot that he would go for it, but I had to at least try. It was times like this that I missed William. He knew that as a wealthy white guy in his 40s, he didn't exactly have his finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist. Cocky as he could be, he was humble enough—and savvy enough—to admit that. He knew it was in his best interest to consult me or any of the other assistants for our opinions, because we were the demographic he was trying to market to. "A good idea is a good idea," he once said. "It shouldn't matter who it comes from."

I spent all day on that stupid memo even though in my opinion, there was only one worthwhile option on it and the others were a waste of my time. I had it on Frank's desk before he left for the evening. Only then was I able to start on the rest of my work. Back to the grind.

I swear I must have sent some message into the universe because a few days later, I got an email from William. He had accepted a position at his old agency, he said, and he wanted to talk to me about a few things in person. He'd promised me he would bring me over as his assistant if he went somewhere else so I assumed that had to be it. He'd caught me at a good time—I'd been warming to Frank, but now I was back on Team William. I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say.

I also couldn't wait to hear what Richard had to say. I was the first to arrive at the restaurant where we were meeting for a drink, and I greedily sucked down a glass of wine as soon as I sat down, so that by the time Richard arrived, he was all fuzzy and golden in the low light. He really was so handsome, especially wrapped up in his nice cashmere coat. Maybe I was too quick to blow him off. Richard is probably the only guy I've ever known who can give as good as I can, and that counts for a lot in my book.

I climbed off the bar stool and reached up to give him a hug. The cold clung to his coat like stubborn cologne. I was shivering when I pulled away.

Richard took off his scarf and wrapped it around my neck. His fingers caught in the ends of my hair and lingered there for just a beat too long. "Better?"

I smiled. "Better."

He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before sitting down. "Whatever she's having," he said to the bartender.

"Have you reassembled your wallet by now?" I asked, sliding into the stool next to his.

"What a process that was." Richard rolled his eyes. "Remind me never to get mugged again."

"Never get mugged again," I said, and one side of his mouth picked up. He reached for his glass of wine and took a sip.

"So listen," I said, at the same time Richard said, "I wanted to."

We both stopped. "You go," we said at the same time again. I laughed. "Seriously. You go."

Richard turned to look at me. His face was more serious than I'd ever seen it. "I wanted to talk to you, about...that night."

I had been planning on going first. The last thing I wanted was for Richard to confess his feelings for me and then I'd have to tell him that the two of us weren't a good idea. But Richard looked so intent on telling me whatever it was he needed to tell me, that I wanted to hear it. Maybe he'd make a good case for why we should give this a try. Maybe I'd even consider it.

"I think we should talk about it," I said.

Richard nodded. "I just want to make sure you don't have the wrong idea about me. I'm not...I'm not like you think I am. A womanizer, or whatever."

"I don't think that about you," I said. "I did, at one point. But I don't anymore."

"I was like that at one point," Richard agreed. "But I've changed." He leaned in a little closer and his shoulder brushed mine.

I couldn't believe it. It was exactly like Nina had said—he was totally using Sam to prove a point.

"I know you have," I said.

"I care about you and our friendship so much"—

"I do too."

—"And I'd never want to do anything to wreck it."

I shook my head. "Me neither."

Richard breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. So we're on the same page."

I blinked, confused. "On the same page about what?"

Richard looked at me funny. "We agree that little almost kiss was a huge mistake." His shoulder was warm against mine. "I'm crazy in love with Sam."

It took me a second too long to recover. "Right," I said. "I know you are."

Richard studied me closely. "I mean it, Josie. I am. I'm sorry for my part in whatever that was on Wednesday. I won't be putting myself in a position like that again. Sam means too much to me."

I leaned away from him. "Putting yourself in what position?"

"Alone, in the dark, at 3AM with a random girl"—

"A random girl?"

Richard waved his hand. "You know what I mean."

"Clearly, I don't," I said. "You found me. You hugged me. When I was upset and vulnerable."

"Jesus, Josie. You make it sound like I was preying on you or something."

"I'm just stating the facts." I turned away from him but he caught my face in his hands.

"What do you want me to say?" Richard said, his voice soft and low. His eyes scanned my face, back and forth, like he was reading the tiny, quick print of a newspaper. "That I'm in love with you? That I don't know how to handle it I'm so in love with you?"

My mouth fell open a little bit. I had no idea what to say. Before I could figure it out, Richard dropped his hands from my face and burst out laughing.

"Relax," he said, "I'm fucking with you." He took another sip of his wine. "Don't think so highly of yourself."

"You really are a special breed of asshole." I reached into my wallet and dropped a twenty on the table. Richard pushed it back at me.

"Come on," he said, "I'm just kidding. Let me at least pick this up after what you and your friends did for me last week."

I stared at the twenty, pinned to the bar top by Richard's index finger. It was like a peace offering, either I accepted it or I didn't. I reached out and peeled it off the table before pulling on my coat.

"Are we okay?" Richard swiveled around in the stool, leaning back on his elbows and watching me collect my things.

"I want to be," I said. "Sometimes you just take it too far though." I hauled my bag over my shoulder. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

Let it be noted that no one should ever take love advice from Ashley, Nina, or I ever again. Dumb, dumber, and dumbest with the assessment we came up with, sheesh. In trying to honor this personal commitment to myself to take a break from relationshipping, it seems I've found a loop hole, and that is the guy who isn't my boyfriend but who I have a history with, so anything that happens between us is so much more emotionally charged than it would have been with a new guy. It's sort of like a boyfriend lite, and it's got to stop, because it's just me trying to skirt around the reality of being single.



56 comments:

  1. I don't know what oatmeal toffee brownie bites are but I know that I need them ASAP. Great post Jessica!

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  2. Eww Ricahrd is such an ass. "Don't think so highly of yourself" ?? I was never a big fan of Richard, and just when I start to warm up to him a bit, he reminds me why I never liked him in the first place. He can be so immature and a real jerk to Josie. He really does take things too far sometimes, especially when Josie is trying to be serious with him. I really want Peter to come back!! Bring him back Jessica pleaseee!! Or work you wonderful writing skills and bring in a new guy that we can fall in love with!! :) Thanks for the great post!

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  3. Ugh, okay now please if she is going to be single let her be single in peace for a while. I feel terrible for her now. Let her have some fun without all the humiliation!!! Poor Josie :(

    Love your writing :)

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  4. So, so, SO over Josie playing the victim. It's high time she acts like a grown woman instead of a kid, holding her breath and stomping her feet when things don't go her way. Now that Richard doesn't want you, he took advantage of your "vulnerability" ? She's just made he beat her to the punch. What she wanted was for him to profess his love for her and inflate her ego, so that she could let him down gently. She really does need to stop thinking so highly of herself. She's obviously not as incredible as she thinks she is, otherwise she'd be able to actually keep a man.

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    1. Whoa. I don't think she is in any way, shape, or form playing the victim. When your FRIEND who has a GIRLFRIEND almost kisses you after you've been humiliated by a guy that has burned you twice, I'd say that was taking advantage of her current, vulnerable situation. Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge Josie so harshly. I'm sure she doesn't think she's incredible at all. You know, after being burned, yet again by Ian, and turned down by a friend who she'd maybe like to be more than friends with. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

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    2. "Keep a man"? Wow, do you sound like one of those judgmental beyotches who disses single women!
      More like Josie hasn't found a man worthy of her yet...

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    3. I'm with the original commenter. I think Josie was thinking highly of herself. She assumed it was all about her.

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    4. But her friends did plant the seed...I don't think we can pin it all on Josie

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    5. I do not disagree that Josie may have had a selfish moment. I would just like people to be a little more tactful in the way that they express themselves about Josie and this blog in general. Yes, Josie might be fictional. But Jessica isn't, and this is her work. Be mindful and respectful of that. Please and thanks! :)

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  5. Josie got caught up thinking that Richard is into her. Yes they have a connection but I do believe he caress about his girlfriend that's why he was so quick to leave after Thanksgiving. Josie appears disappointed when he tells her this because maybe she wants him to want her and this was an ego shot for get. She wanted to be the one to say I want to be friends first. I feel Josie took a step back in maturity in this episode.

    With work, do frank doesn't love her idea and that makes her want to consider jumping ship and join William? Here frank is scoring a mega deal and she's bitching that he prefers a male author? Way to focus on your career. You love the vision frank has and that's the path you prefer but because he's not praising your every opinion your pissed. I wish she would reconsider and think things through.

    Before any criticizes, I love Josie abbr this blog but the events in this post infuriate me. I'm passionate about my feelings even though I know this is fictional.

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    1. THIS.
      I think we've all been there, boy or girl, where we want to be the one who "lets them down easy." It's a stupid expectation that we all build up int he back of our mind, and then when it turns out we're not letting anybody down, we're the ones feeling cheated.
      It's like when you go to break up with your lover, and you expect crying and begging and hurt feelings, but instead the lover totally agrees with you.
      BURN!

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  6. Ooh he's so in love with her and is just playing stupid. I think he thinks she doesn't feel the same way so he's acting like it was nothing. He really did just confess his love for her, then did the little school boy thing and said just kidding. No richard, you're not kidding! Ooooor......he's the worlds biggest asshole, lol. I don't know but I think he's got it bad for josie

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    1. Gosh, I really wish it was just a schoolboy thing. I really like Josie with Richard. So effortless and it's-the-little-things-he-does kind of sweet, you know? The scarf... The holding Josie's hand after Peter's party... *sigh*

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    2. Yes! Plot twist: Nina was right! Richard is just using Sam to show Josie he can be in a real relationship! And he did do "a schoolboy thing." In addition to all of that he is working on another devious plot to have Josie running to him!

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  7. I like the idea of single Josie for awhile and making that decision on her terms. It does bruise the ego when the other person isn't interested, even if you aren't as well.

    Random SUGGESTION: I think it'd be so on point if after a couple of posts she tries online dating....it's so much the dating culture. I've been on match and okcupid (there's also the world of tinder :)...while I didn't find a good guy for a long time, the stories certainly entertained my friends and gave me some dates to look forward to....every single gal needs that to boost confidence.....maybe she sheepishly makes an online profile? Or with friends? That may be a good bit.

    One of my priceless dates.....gave an older guy a chance, guy didn't look like pic at ALL, brought a single rose for the first date, mentioned at dinner that he was divorced with two children....and had the gall to ask: didn't I tell you that? No!, went to a hockey game after dinner....guess who was chosen for the kiss cam?? Yep, us! Can you believe my luck?! Lol....it's a miracle I didn't give up then and there. It was SO funny to relay this to friends and family though.

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  8. And I was just warming up to Richard.. ugh. I think Josie was a bit immature but I liked her 'boyfriend lite' epiphany.

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  9. Was Josie being a bit immature? Yes. But Richard was a complete asshole for doing that whole you want to me tell you I'm in love with you thing and then not only telling her he was kidding, but also telling her that she thinks too highly of herself. Josie shouldn't have played out in her mind that Richard is in love with her, but I do sympathize with her in what he did. It really wasn't cool. But I am hoping that showing all of these guys' true colors is a precedent to make Josie realize the person she really wants is Peter! I really want him to come back!! Ian and Richard are just messing with Josie's heart and I don't like it one bit. Such jerks. But I am also cool with Josie ACTUALLY being single for a while.

    On a side note, I really like how Josie, Nina, and Ashley are hanging out all together again like the old days without drama between them. It's nice.

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    1. Maybe with Josie starting to have more experiences with these jerks she will see that Peter was the one she should have held onto. The grass is always greener on the other side until you have to mow it! I have always been Team Peter and always will be! Yes, he acted stupid sometimes, but he is human and he always talked it out with Josie. Because he is an adult!!!

      The other thing that bothered, actually bothers me is how Josie is so wishy washy when she hears something she doesn't like. She was seeing the value in Frank's leadership until he disagreed with her and she with him. Now she is on Team William?? If you switch up every time someone says something you don't like, Josie is never going to find balance.

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    2. I want Peter to come back too!! He wasn't perfect, but hell, what guy is?? I think he was a really good guy and he was good to Josie too. I really want Josie to be with him. It took Peter a while to realize the he really did want Josie because he had to sort a lot of other shit in his life out first, and I think that's what's going to happen to Josie too. She's going to realize what jerks all these other guys are and she'll sort out her job situation and I'm hopeful that along the way she'll realize she wants Peter too. Plus, these other guys are really starting to piss me off with all their asshole moves so I hope Peter comes back real soon!!

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  10. I would've liked Josie to be happy that Richard felt the same way she does. After their meeting I'm feeling that Josie has feelings for Richard and is dejected he realized that cares about his girlfriend too much and would like to be only friends with Josie. I don't feel he tried to take advantage of her in her vulnerable state. He was comforting her in her weakest moment but I didn't feel he did it with ulterior motives. They're friends and friends help each other in difficult times. Maybe she started to believe the ideas Nina and Ashley were filling her head with or maybe she was truly hurt. I don't feel Frank outright dismissed Josie's suggestion. He is staying he wants the best possible writer for the job at hand and threw out one name, doesn't mean he isn't open to a well known female writer. At least we get to see what William has been up to soon... lol.

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  11. I love the whole "boyfriend lite" idea. Truth be told, many women fall into this pattern of acceptance when we're single and dating isn't going the way we would like. Been there, done that. Way to go, Jessica!

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  12. Ugh I hate Richard. Also I agree with Frank anyone that is a talented writer should do the Sylvia Plath thing. Also Josie is like 24 she should be learning from Frank not the other way around.

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    1. Age does not determine all. I like that William understood the limitations of his age and often recruited Josie for fresh ideas. Truth of the matter is, Frank may be out of touch on a few things because of HIS age. That does not mean that Josie cannot offer him any new insight to something promising because of HER age. I think this ageism conversation is a little under thought. Josie and Frank can learn from one another.

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  13. what happened to Kate?

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  14. I can't read this blog on my phone! :( Every week I try and every week I'm disappointed. I don't have the same issue with other blogs here. I think the universe wants me to suffer through the entire day to get my dose

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  15. I think Trevor should make a reappearance! When they dated Josie wasn't ready for a real relationship because she and Eric had just broken up but they had history and really good chemistry. I'd love for her to run into him again so they can give it a real try without worrying about a label.

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    1. Here, here! He treated Josie with respect (one of the only guys who did, IMHO) and did not mess with her head. If not Trevor, then his clone? :)

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    2. :O That would definitely be interesting!

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  16. So, Josie plans to let him down gently because although she has feelings, she knows it's not worth it. Richard says that he's in love with Sam and he agrees the kiss was a mistake. Josie suddenly changes her attitude and accuses him of taking advantage of her.

    First red flag: Josie has feelings for him. This is all that matters. It's one thing to have an ego bruised when you realize someone isn't into you EITHER, but Josie has FEELINGS for him. Maybe in her head she thought they'd share in their forbidden feelings together and be sad that they can't be together *gag gag* But that's not how it went down. Richard loves Sam. Sam means too much to him. Jose has feelings for him that she won't own up to, and to find out he holds something strainer for someone else was a slap in her face and her reacted as such.

    Richard said "I don't wanna put myself in a position like that....alone 3 AM with a random girl." Josie doesn't want to feel like a "position, and she doesn't want to be associated with a random girl, ESPECIALLY since she has feelings for him.

    "Don't think so highly of yourself." That's a normal Richard-esque jab, no one should be surprised, and Josie wouldn't be so damn sensitive if she didn't feel....let down. -_-

    I bet she deep down wanted him to say that he's in love with her, that he can't handle his love for her, because it would continue this "Boyfriend lite" thing she's got going on. But instead, reality kicked her in the ass. I've been there, so I empathize, but I don't like how she reacted.

    I rarely stick up for Richard, but this wasn't his fault, it was Josie's for having subconscious expectations shot down and being, in a way, 'a sore loser.'

    Who agrees or not?

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    1. I love Richard and always stick up for him but totally agree with the rest of your analysis.

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    2. I agree with you. Josie wanted more but was holding back. Hopefully she continues to hold back with him. He is a heart breaker. This is not the last of it.

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  17. Ughhh. I was disappointed with this blog, not because of the writing but because I feel Josie took a huge step back in maturity. It seemed like she's been making good choices recently but she got waaaay too offended by Richard. he was just kidding, jeez. I can't stand when women can't take a freaking joke. I like Richard because he's real and honest with Josie and not afraid to tell her what he thinks. he's blunt and I admire that.

    ironically, I feel like she was so pissed because there was a lot of truth to what he was saying. she WAS thinking highly of herself.

    oh and the idea that men can't admire/relate to feminists thing? That basically contradicts the entire idea of equal rights in the first place. (Not that Josie is in any way a feminist) what's up with this uppity attitude that she's smarter than frank?

    I do like this blog, don't get me wrong, I just didn't agree with anything Josie did in this entry.

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    1. Just want to clear one thing up—Josie is 100% a feminist. I couldn't hang out with this girl this much if she wasn't!

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    2. Problem is, nowadays feminists have got a really bad rep for going too far and thinking they're better than men (no this is not the case with most, but it has become a stereotype) and its really important to not just believe in rights for women, but also EQUAL rights. men can be just as passionate for equality as women, and I feel like Josie didn't understand that with the Frank situation. Give us feminists a better reputation!

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    3. This is an interesting discussion because I guess we all different ideas on what constitutes feminism. I think that it means women have the ability make choices and being viewed the same as men. I am not saying that I don't believe Josie is a feminist, but her idea that women can relate to certain writers because they are also women to me...does not fit under my definition of feminism. I feel like feminism sometimes gets miscontrued as behaving a certain way but really it means that women should be able choose the right path for them without society pigeon-holing them into certain roles.

      Case in point, the whole Lorde versus Selena Gomez debate. Lorde argues that Selena's "Come and Get It" song is not feminism. I disagree. Feminism isn't being one type of women or falling under one type of role. My point is that somewhere along the way feminism became to mean something that I am sure it was ever intended to mean.

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    4. I don't think that Josie was wrong in wanting a woman for the role. Of course men can be feminists, but why place a man in this position when a woman would be "better" (and I use that word loosely). In the same way that Whites can fight for minority issues, men can advocate for women. In that same fashion, however, who better than to advocate for minorities than minorities themselves? When it comes to being the face and the voice for Frank's project, who better than a woman?

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    5. Such an interesting discussion! Was just coming on here to say in regards to the request to give feminists a better name—I don't think Josie advocating for a female author to interpret the work of an iconic feminist novelist is in any way giving feminism a bad name, so we will just have to agree to disagree on that point.

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    6. Also, I'd like to remind everyone that there are multiple types of feminisms. Maybe the type Josie is and the type you are are completely different. *shrugs*

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    7. I love intellectual banter:) IMO, Frank didn't outright dismiss Josie. He wants the best person for the job, whether male or female. That's my definition got feminism, equal rights, opportunities and compensation. GM announced that their new CEO will be Mary Barra. The first woman ever to be CEO of an automotive company. Why do I bring this up? Well it's a male dominated field and many would say why a female CEO? Simple she's best for the job at hand. Back to Frank, he's looking for the same, the best possible person for the job at hand. I feel Josie needn't get upset and think about leaving to join William because Frank wasn't jumping up and down with joy at her proposal. He's been in the field for years and is able to land literary deals instead of reality TV stars and their life stories. I feel Josie just starting out should take the opportunity to learn from him not the opposite way around.

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    8. Sorry but I agree with Josie. Frank should listen to her advice because she is more insightful than him. If the book target group is women why not have a woman writer? The GM example doesn't relate to Josie's work IMO, but I proud and happy she achieved that job, The best person for this book is a woman and Josie needs to get Frank to see this.

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    9. I think getting your boss to listen to you differs depending on the boss. I am not yet what approach will work with Frank. It also could be that its because Josie hasn't worked with Frank as long as she worked with William. Maybe Frank needs to work with her longer before he values her input. My point is she is learning from Frank and if she stays she is going to be the person that can list on her resume that she helped launch this book which is huge. I think she is jumping ship too quickly.

      That being said, the big draw to a book like that is getting read Plath's new work. That is the bigger picture. People are going to buy it for that, not whoever writes the introduction.

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    10. "What will make it impactful is a good writer. Gender shouldn't matter." Could not have said it better myself. I think this is the most important message in feminism. Gender shouldn't matter or effect what YOU want to do or what path you want to take. It is my personal opinion that even though Josie may be a feminist at times, this was not a feminist decision.

      I don't mean this offensively Jessica, its just my opinion on the character, not your actual writing. You must be doing something right if you make people so passionate about a fictional character!

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    11. Feminism is a very wide umbrella with several sub-categories and different views. The faces of feminism are not cookie cutter. There will never truly be a "representative" for EVERYONE. Sylvia Plath was a white woman. So does that mean only a white feminist writer can do the job? What about a minority or someone from the gay community? While I understand Josie's argument that it would make a bigger impact for the books to be written by a woman, that doesn't mean she's the right person for the job.

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    12. My analogy with the new GM ceo was to demonstrate that a company should seek the best person for the job regardless of gender. Josie has ideas and opinions which is wonderful but sometimes we are not always right and should be open minded. William allowed Josie a lot of freedom and went along with her suggestions but in a more structured environment that is not always going to be the case. When I first started out in investment banking I first observed and proved myself for a few months before suggesting changes which were implemented because my colleagues and superiors respected my ability. Josie needs to do the same in my opinion.

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  18. Loooove this blog! So I totally disagree with some of the comments that Richard is a douche. I mean he has been; but this time Josie's just upset that he didn't say what she wanted to hear. She wanted to be the one delivering the let-down. I'm glad Richard's happy. Although I do think that if Josie ever confessed her like for him, he would dump his girl in a heartbeat.

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  19. I am going to chime in one more time, mostly because the last month of posts have hit me intensely regarding the Ian storyline. I am the one who posted about reconnecting with a bad-boy who was just a friend, it got romantic and we are 7 years happily married now (hence my hope that a romance would bloom with Josie and Ian--it's a theme near and dear to me. Alas, for that.) In the realm of you can't make this sh** up, I ALSO had an earlier experience of being pursued by a guy (a casual friend) and the day after I slept with him the first time I found out that he was sleeping with my roommate on the side. Not just drama but DRAMA and I was deeply hurt--not something I could just shake off. It was really more the betrayal of the friendship that hurt more than anything else. There is MUCH more to my story that parallels, but I won't bore you all. Long story short, even he had the grace to apologize and admit he was thinking with his little head not his big one and at least try to make amends. A man would have to be a sociopath to not realize that he had been a total jerk by treating a woman that way and would KNOW that his actions were hurtful, especially when friendship is involved and at least ATTEMPT to apologize or make amends. Ian, as he was written, didn't come off as sociopathic--just innately insecure with a need to prove his worth by way of seducing women. Not saying Josie should let Ian back in, but it would give closure to a character/storyline that has dominated the blog for several weeks if there was an apology or a final communication. By way of "literary criticism", the wind up for that situation seems hurried/forced. Just sayin' Thanks for the soapbox. :D

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    1. And yeah, I realize I am probably the ONLY reader who thinks this, but the parallels of my own experiences were too great to not post something here.

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  20. I truly do love Richard and Josie together. I think they are two perfectly fitting pieces in a puzzle, and somehow they need to find a way to be together(forever). Regardless of this post, I think Richard still has romantic feelings for Josie, because if he didn't after all of this time he wouldn't have felt in the passion of that moment to kiss Josie. I think the Peter and Josie hookup is kind of dull, so hopefully they won't come back. Right now, I'm hoping for a new character that is going to stick around for a few posts to come...hopefully someone likeable. Loving the blog Jessica!

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  21. I couldn't help but notice that some people are complaining about how Josie is not mature. I think she is making some progress in that department. Though, there are times that I wish she would take more of a leadership role in things. It seems that sometimes she is just sitting back and waiting for things to happen, which is good in some situations and not so good in others.

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  22. I don't know why everyone is hating on Richard, Josie said herself that she just wanted to be friends and so when he said he just wanted to be friends she gets mad at him. Yes the joke he said was insensitive but really she didnt want him when he wanted her. So be a big girl and be happy that he has found someone

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  23. So many com enters wanted Josie to be turned down. Here it is on a silver platter.

    I believe Josie's reaction is totally appropriate for the situation. Even though I am saying that I would not be lying when I said out loud "Come on Josie!" Reject hurts. No matter what form it comes in. By outwardly showing this disappointment she has given Richard the power. And he will use it when he is drunk and vulnerable... because he always does. Richard needs therapy...major therapy.

    I love Josie! She is just making mistakes and learning from them. I love that she is not holding back. She is putting herself out there in her relationships and her career. No regrets!

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