Your mother always told you, one way to predict how a man would treat you was seeing how he treated his own mother. At first, you thought it was her trick to stop you from seeing your boyfriend at that time. Well, looking back, maybe your mother's words got some truth behind them. You blamed it on your younger self, that always tried to rebel against your mother's wish or command. Back then, your mother didn't approve of your boyfriend at that time and you thought her words of wisdom were just empty words. Because your boyfriend at that time was not respectful towards anyone else except himself. He thought he was the center of the world and the world revolved around him. He thought since he got all the privilege because he was rich, he got the free ticket to be rude.
Oh boy, how your younger self was totally wrong. You were blinded by the expensive gifts that he showered you with. You were blinded with the attention that everyone gave you since you were your boyfriend's girlfriend. You got the first class treatment because he was rich, so you got the taste of the luxury that he could get for being his girlfriend. But then, his anger started to show up. He was being rude every time he was feeling pissed. And he got pissed over even the smallest thing. He started calling you names when he was angry with you. But you were still blinded and forgave him every time he apologized afterward. However, when he started to be rough with you, even in front of his friends and sister, and later, his parents... that was where you drew the line.
At least your mother could be proud of one thing, that you knew when to get yourself out of a toxic relationship. And thank goodness you did, because several months later, you heard that the next girl wasn't so lucky. You, on the other hand, decided to put a hold on your love life. Until you met your current boyfriend. The first time you saw him, he was babysitting his niece. And you knew a lot of things about babysitting. Because you had three brothers and sisters and you've spent your younger years babysitting them. You knew how exhausted kids could be and you could tell your current boyfriend was pretty good with kids. Not just his niece, but also her friends that came to the playground that day. The day where you were working at the counter. When he asked for your number before he left, you trusted him enough to give him your number even only after meeting him once.
Then the dates.. You could tell how he was sweet. Really sweet. And respectful. Once, your skirt hitched up when you were climbing into his car. And you clearly saw he averted his eyes. Yes, you weren't wrong or imagining things. He averted his eyes, instead of raking it up your exposed thigh like any other guys would do in that situation. And that was not just one incident. There was another time, when you wore a low scoop neck blouse to a dinner date and you bent down to pick up your bag that you put earlier on the floor. You didn't pay any attention because you had worn that blouse numerous times and no one had made a comment about your blouse, not until your current boyfriend did.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat and you thought you were so slow that he became impatient, but when you looked up, you saw that he wasn't looking at you. Well, he was purposely not looking at you so you wondered what that was about. He glanced at you briefly and made a small gesture to his own chest, signaling something like the neckline and you looked down and realized that your blouse was pulled down and your cleavage was a bit exposed. "Your blouse," he said, pausing a bit, indicating that he was hesitant. "When you look down, your blouse is hanging too low and," he swallowed hard, "well, next time, perhaps hold the neckline of your blouse so you're not flashing anyone?" he suggested and he looked a bit flustered and you thanked him, once again, for being a gentleman.
Fast forward now, you've been with your current boyfriend for two years. You had met his family and you saw firsthand how he was really sweet with his mother. He always called his parents on their birthdays and he went home during public holidays like Christmas and New Year. He didn't live with his parents anymore, but he called them every time he could. Sometimes he would include you into the conversation and you appreciated the gesture, like he was welcoming you to the family. However, as you got to know him better, you started to see his playful side. Of course you had seen him being playful with his friends, especially those who were closest to him, and he was the definition of work hard, play harder. He was all serious when he was at work, but when he was with his friends, it was like he was being a little kid once again. Oh, and another thing.. He might be respectful, but he was all man. Oh yeah, he did... And he wasn't shy at all when it was just the two of you. All those innuendos...
