Topical Guide 172
Mark Dorset
Persuasion, Techniques of: Appeal to Ego or Vanity
The next day, in the cafeteria, when Stretch Mitgang passed Veronica and me, I asked her, “Why does he wink at you like that?”
“Did he wink at me?” she asked. She smiled and looked in Stretch’s direction; then she turned quickly back toward me and twisted the smile into a scowl.
“Yes,” I said. “He winked at you.”
“He’s probably just being friendly, or he’s teasing,” said Veronica.
“Oh, no,” I said. “It’s more than that. He thinks you’re quite a little number.”
“Do you think so?” asked Veronica. The smile returned.Little Follies, “Take the Long Way Home”
Traits, of Character, of Personality: Compatibility thereof
“Just try studying with Veronica and see if it helps.”
“All right,” he said. “I can ask her the problems and she can give me the answers.”
“I think she should ask you the problems instead, and you should figure out the answers,” I said.
“How come?” he asked.
“Because she’s better at arithmetic than you are,” I said. “You’re the one who needs practice.”
He expelled one sharp laugh. “That’s a joke, right?” he asked.
“A joke?”
“Yeah. Say—you’re not making fun of me, are you?”
“Oh,” I said, “now I see what you mean. You mean, what’s the sense of Veronica asking you the problems if you don’t know the answers? Is that it?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“You and Veronica are going to get along really well, Stretch,” I said.Little Follies, “Take the Long Way Home”
See also: Traits, Generational Persistence of TG 37; Traits, of Character, of Personality TG 37
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