The Man in Denial About Being Old

He considers himself to be young, he chooses not to view himself to be old or getting older.  He desires a young woman to make him feel good inside.  She is to compliment him, make him smile, introduce him occasionally to what interests young people, be a good listener and a lover.  Seems simple enough?  Yet, the mature man, who is in denial about age and refuses to date anyone his own age or older, is complicated. 

Spend enough time with him and the aging man, who secretly hates getting older, starts to tire of all the attention his younger partner is getting, her interests, conversation and more is very different than his own.  Privately, he already knows that he doesn't feel or look as good as he once did and he hates to be reminded of it.  So the visits outside the bedroom with his young companion begin to lessen and he chooses to take comfort in his favorite chair at home.  He doesn't offer to take his girlfriend or mistress places for he knows what people will think when they pass the pair by.  The mature gentleman doesn't bother to have as much sex as he once did, because it is now a chore.  He isn't much interested in doing too much of anything when he isn't in denial. 

Yet, the older man, who fights the aging process like a boxer fighting another boxer in the ring, will not only deny he is getting older, but he will lose his cool with others who say anything about what he should do now that he is this age and that one.  He argues when someone mentions anything about age from looks to feelings.  He considers himself to be young for his age and it doesn't help when others inflate his already large ego.  He is not the least bit interested in women his own age, he scoffs at the mere mention of sticking with his own age group.  He challenges younger men who joke about his aging body.  He sulks when he loses.  If he is having a crisis of any sort, he refuses to admit it.  Family and friends who say that is what he is going through, he rejects them. 

So he scrolls the Internet, his phone, talks to young women..."They don't know what they are talking about, " he says.  "I'm not old."  People are such good liars.

Nicholl McGuire