“Freya, how long are you going to continue believing in the pretends?” he demanded. “Aren’t you sick and tired of being fooled by guys who aren’t what they seem? I thought you had more sense than this.”
“How was I to know that he wasn’t a student at the university? I have seen him on campus many times and I’ve never seen anyone escort him off.”
“What about the boy who sold you some story that he and his mother were homeless and you gave him your allowance only to discover that he lived with his parents in a big, fancy house?”
“He looked homeless,” she replied defensively.
“Admit it, you were attracted to these guys and that’s why they were able to fool you so easily.
“So, I thought they were cute, big deal. Haven’t you ever been wrong about somebody or misjudged someone?”
“I was deceived by someone once and I promised myself that I wasn’t going to let that happen again.”
“Are you talking about Elke?” Elke was a German woman he once dated. They dated for a couple of years and everyone thought that they would get married but it turned out that she was already married. Freya could still remember the day when they found out. To say that her brother was devastated would have been a gross understatement. He was hurt, angry and very bitter. Even now whenever her name was mentioned, he got upset.
His mouth tightened now and his eyes glowered behind the glasses. “I would rather not talk about her,” he muttered tightly.
“Fine. And I would rather not talk about my mistakes either.”
“These mistakes can cost you dearly if you’re not careful, Freya. I’m telling you this for your own good. You’re still very young so you don’t know much about life and people–“
Her face turned red and she glared at him. “I know that you’re my big brother and that you’re wise and all that, but I wish you wouldn’t be so condescending sometimes. You treat me like I’m an airhead.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Freya. I just know more about life than you do and don’t want you to make mistakes that you will live to regret.”
“That’s part of growing up, isn’t it? We make mistakes but we learn from them. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’m not a child. I will figure out things for myself. I will be careful going forward.”
“All right. I won’t lecture you anymore.”
“Thank you.” And on that note, she turned and left the study.
Notes to Women 