This Disease called Loneliness

This Disease called Loneliness

I spared a couple of hours in between my work sessions to go for dinner with Marlyn at the new Hard Rock Cafe at the EX Plaza. This ridiculously named, spankingly new mall is the swankiest hangout in town now. It is located right in the heart of Jakarta, directly connected to Plaza Indonesia near Bunderan HI.

HRC is not my favourite place for a meal but it was Marlyn's idea and I thought it was probably a good opportunity for me to check out this new yuppie place. Marlyn didn't know I was in town until she sent an SMS to my Maxis number a couple of days ago, asking me when I'd be coming to Jakarta again. She was surprised to find out that I was already here.

So I caught up with her today for dinner and got the latest news about my other friends at the hotel. I found out that P. who was going steady with a friend of mine at one time is now hooked to another expatriate--a hotel guest--who in all probability is already married. Lonely women are often very vulnerable creatures and the slickest philanderers among men are usually the married ones.

Many young girls fall easy prey to married men out looking for some fun because they want to believe that the succesful-looking middle-aged man who bothers to ask them out is actually single and available. Sometimes I think loneliness is a disease that warrants as much attention as cancer or AIDS. So many people suffer from it and lives have been destroyed as a result. Strangely, women seem to be more susceptible to this disease than men.

Marlyn has better luck in her love life than P. She has a boyfriend who fetches her back from work; a homely guy who doesn't drink, smoke or go clubbing at night. Still she complains that he doesn't call her often enough...

Doesn't look like there's a cure for this disease called loneliness.