Women Truly Value Men Who Listen

Listening means giving her genuine attention, taking her words seriously and understanding her point of view. You don’t have to agree or offer a solution; sometimes, simply hearing is enough. Unless, of course, the information shared is weaponised.

Women often complain that men don’t listen. That may be entirely true, but what about the guy who is too attentive and too inquisitive? Is there a point of excess for those who listen all the time?

And is it possible for men to know too much?

Some men move to prying. Prying can be taken as showing genuine concern, but there’s also a point when it gets creepy. His questions keep coming long after she’s run out of things to say. It’s almost as if he’s waiting for something else to come, perhaps a slip-up.

Prying can be taken as showing genuine concern, but there’s also a point when it gets creepy. His questions keep coming long after she’s run out of things to say. It’s almost as if he’s waiting for something else, perhaps a slip-up.

It’s a volatile relationship for any girl who becomes involved with such a person. He could be labelled a control freak.

And then there’s the silent one.

At first, this one appeals to many women. They think it’s an attractive trait, a mysterious challenge to overcome. They like opening him up, getting him to share his innermost secrets — a worthy prize if she achieves this result.

Prizes aside, a silent gentleman isn’t necessarily a sign of a willingness to share anything, much less his innermost secrets. He’s simply a quiet man who has nothing to say. He’s happy and doesn’t need to say so.

For some women, this kind of listener turns into a frustrating one.

The stalker is another version of a guy who listens extremely well. He’ll even press an ear against a wall to hear better. He’ll know which day she’ll hang out her washing and what songs she has on high rotation in her playlist. For a techno-stalker, he’ll even get into her computer from a remote location, read her emails and listen covertly through her device’s microphone.

It’s not that hard to do. I do it all the time.

Once her device is unlocked, he’s willing to wait for that inconspicuous microphone of hers to pick up every subtle sound she makes and broadcast it directly into his ears. Like a sniper slowing his heartbeat, our listener slips on his headphones, shuts his eyes and settles back to enjoy the sounds she makes — building a picture of her domestic life through her audio-based movements.

She’s alone again — and it’s been like that for days. She had another argument with her soon-to-be ex-husband last night. She was on the phone with him for an hour, and he heard it all. Divorce is imminent. She told him not to come looking for her. It’s over. Forever.

She’s stepping into the shower, turning on the water and crying. It’s been a hard few months. The listener hears it all.

There will be a time when she’ll date again, but it won’t be today. She’s too angry and hurt. But when the time is right, she’ll have something to prove to herself. That’s when our mystery listener will make his move. He’ll know exactly when and where to find her. It will have been months in the making.

The water stopped. That’s her bare feet touching the floor. Can you hear them? That’s what naked sounds like.

He knows when she leaves for work, returns home, does her shopping and, more importantly, how much she tells her family and friends about the fights, the breakup, the divorce proceedings and other men who may enter her life. If she holds back information from them, he’ll smile. Secretive women make better victims.

The two of them will meet by chance.

It’ll be a fleeting encounter, little more than a chat and a smile in the street. He’ll say and do all the right things and then disappear.

She’ll be left wondering if he was the one. He was a nice guy. Confident too. And he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

First contact is done to make first impressions — and so that he can listen to the results of it later. Will she tell her friends, or will she keep him to herself?

Her microphone and his headphones will settle the debate.

The test will be repeated, and if she passes by not mentioning his name, they’ll meet one more time. It will be the last time. Her lifeless body will be found next day.

The estranged husband will have many questions to answer, and the police won’t need to look elsewhere. He’s a newly single man. He won’t have an alibi.

Men can learn a lot about women simply by listening. It’s important to listen to them carefully.

There is much to be gained.

-Michael (Author of Creepy Dark Fiction)

“Forman’s writing style is artful, with the protagonist Mitchell’s warped thought processes masterfully exposed. The author has a powerful and vivid command of language and his word pictures are stark and disturbingly real.”

– Linda J Bettenay, author of ‘Secrets Mothers Keep’ and ‘Wishes For Starlight’.