I have plenty of
female friends, but none that would want the
elevation to "girlfriend", that mystical glory being.
"My girlfriend and I..." is a phrase that I used to
dream of being able to say. It has a certain vital
austerity - the simplicity, and to an extent, the
finality of the term conjures a realm of meaning and
well hints at a whole intrigue. Maybe through
cowardice, I could never bring myself to say - "would
you like to go out on a date?" let alone "would you be
my girlfriend?"