Personal Obliviousness

Many times in my youth, a friend of a friend asked me if I liked their friend. They meant liked-liked, not as a friend. I never understood what they were asking. I would always ask, “Why wouldn’t I like them? We hang out all the time.” Then a game would begin that I wasn’t part of because of my personal obliviousness. They would say, “Why do you hang out with her all the time?” I would retort, “Because I like spending time with her.” Stalemate. Sometimes these awkward conversations led to something; other times, they just disintegrated into the air because of my obtuseness. In both cases, I'd go fill up another McDonald’s giant-size USA Dream Team collector’s cup with ice and Mountain Dew and go on with my day.