I’ve recently been hanging out with a new boy.  Unfortunately, it feels like two new people: one drunk and one sober.  I’m struggling to decide if I’m going to invest time in getting to know him because I don’t know which person I like, which person likes me, or how to resolve this gaping discrepancy.

Meet Dr. Jekyll.  Recently graduated and therefore unemployed, his life consists of a lot of drinking.  He drinks to get drunk and inevitably blacks out. While he is on his way to semi-consciousness he can be fun but he can also be embarrassing.  At 23 I don’t need to see you take your pants off in public and I don’t want to clean the blood off your face after you wrestle your two best friends into the pavement.  Dr. Jekyll, however, is the person aggressive enough to make a move.  Were it not for the good doctor this situation would be non-existent.

In the morning I wake up to Mr. Hide.  This person remains true to his namesake, timid, bashful, and nervous.  Oddly I enjoy Mr. Hide almost more than his dark half.  Mr. Hide can carry on interesting discussions about life, music, sports, and I don’t have to guess if he’ll remember them in an hour.  Mr. Hide won’t sit next to me in public and is awkward in his conversation attempts.  His hesitation is palpable.  I would almost think he wasn’t interested in me, but then he gets a few drinks in him and the transformation begins.

So I am at a loss, do I prefer the mild-mannered yet intelligent man who keeps a ten foot distance or his wilder side who eventually I cannot peel off of me?  Is the inconsistency surmountable or should I give up the monster for greener pastures?

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