Not My Style

I had the opportunity the other day to sit down with a former colleague. I had worked with him on many campaigns as a copywriter. I am pretty sure he is reading this blog right now and is building himself a pedestal as we speak. We would spend hours with our other colleagues brainstorming over campaigns. I would get to pick the music sometimes. It was an eye-opener for many at the office. Every time I would play a song, he would utter the same three words: " Not My Style." But he could not change the music because everyone had to have a turn picking the music for that long evening of brainstorming. It was some form of group togetherness exercise he religiously made us follow. I personally did not like listening to music where people sang about their genitals, yet there we were at the time.

My former colleague knew I was writing a book a while back. When he used to ask what it was about, I would answer something vague along the lines of 'fiction goth-romance'. He would always answer with a ' Not Your Style'. You work with someone for a long time and they think...they think....they have you all figured out. Fast forward, three years later, I publish my book and I did not announce it to him. He finds out from a mutual business acquaintance. He buys the book, reads it and a few days later calls me to meet up for coffee. I thought he only needed me to look over a campaign. I was wrong.

There he was, sitting at the coffee shop with my book in his hand. I could see post-its tabbing the damn thing. He was treating it like the campaign files I would give him where he would put his notes with those ugly post-its. What in the stationary hell was going on here? I sat down in front of him. He bashfully pushes a cup of black coffee towards me. He then says: "Why didn't you tell me?" I was genuinely confused. " Tell you what?"
He opens the book with all the damn post-its. He had made notes and comments. He then says: " I started reading this like I would read your hooks or corporate identities. I put those post-its for notes. I could never imagine someone like you, who loves Monday mornings could write something so beautiful. The genre is in no way my style but I could not put it down. It is Not My Style. I am not comfortable with that. I need book two. I thought I knew your style of writing."

I took a sip of my coffee and said: "I am not comfortable with your latest marketing campaign but here were are."