OK, this is totally spineless of me, but I’m going to take an informal poll on the Steve issue. (If you’re just joining the story, read yesterday’s entry.)

First: someone wrote me last night:

i have to give you shit… this guy called you a despicable person and still managed to extract $8.50 from you?

Second: here’s another thing I found out last night. I was talking on the phone with a friend of mine, telling him the whole story. At one point I imitated Steve’s voice — Steve has this breathy, singsongy voice that modulates a bit too much — and my friend said, “No WAY.” He asked me some more information about Steve, and it turns out that he has talked with Steve before, too. They came in contact through the Village Voice personals a couple of years ago. It never went past the telephone, because at a completely inappropriate part of the conversation, Steve asked him, “So are you smooth or hairy?” My friend is sure it’s the same guy.

So this is the second friend who’s interacted with him — the first friend was the one who’d told me that Steve came across to him as too persistent.

The friend I spoke with last night has volunteered to come with me to pass over the money. This is partly out of altruism and I’m sure it’s partly out of curiosity as well. I’m sure it would rattle Steve too — he’d expect me to be alone, and the presence of another person could silence him.

I don’t know what to do, though. This is becoming an issue of pride. Should I show up (with my friend)? Should I leave Steve a voicemail (he’s only accessible by voicemail today) and say, “If you think I’m such a despicable person, you don’t need my $8.50?” But don’t I owe him the money because I cancelled after he’d reserved the tickets? (Technically, though, the ticket was free, and the $8.50 was just the service charge per ticket.) Should I give him the money in dimes? Nickels? On the one hand, I just want this to end. On the other hand, perhaps I should take this as an opportunity to finally stand up for myself. On the other hand, I don’t want to be an asshole. On the other hand, he’s being an asshole himself. On yet another hand, what if he’s a psycho and I only make him angrier? God, I’m a pentadextrous wimp.

This is so Clintonian of me, but I want to know what you think. E-mail me your thoughts. Steve is checking his voicemail at 4:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, so if I inform him I’m not showing up, it has to be by then.