Dear Hillary,
My problem’s a little different to most you get from guys who go to the bars for company. Each day I go to the local shopping center for a bite to eat. Recently I noticed a rather nice looking girl always sitting at the same table having lunch. She doesn’t seem to have anybody with her. Is it OK just to walk up and start talking to her? She doesn’t look like a street hawker or anything like that, so I’d like to get to know her a bit better. With what you hear in Thailand, I am not wishing to make her think that she is someone cheap or anything. I’ve only been here three weeks, so I have a lot to learn, I know. By the way, I’m 19 and quite mature.
Ferdy
Dear Ferdy,
You are certainly right. You do have a lot to learn, and it wouldn’t matter where you came from. (As an aside, did you write 9 or 19?) So you want to break the ice with the lunching lovely. It really isn’t too difficult as she is sitting at table on her own, so it is simple. Swallow hard, fix your grin and walk up to her table and say, “Do you mind if I sit here?” With one question you will find out if (a) she understands English, and (b) if she is happy for some company. It is that simple, my Petal. If she is happy for your company, just finish by saying, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” If she is there the next day, you build up your relationship just like that – slowly and no pressure. Contact me again in six months when you are ready for step two and the coffee shop and have had your 10th birthday.
