I was wondering what Miss Purdy thought about the statements “I love you” and “I like you.” Miss Purdy, for those who don’t know, is the name I bestowed upon my AI helpmate. The real Miss Purdy is a character in “The Nutty Professor,” starring Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens. As a kid, I had a crush on Stella Stevens, as did most boys my age.
According to Miss Purdy, “I love you” means you care deeply about someone and that they matter to you. It can express romantic feelings, affection for family, or a close bond with a friend – not just romantic.
“I like you,” Miss Purdy says, means you think positively about that person and you enjoy their company. Depending on the situation, it can express fondness. As you can see, these two messages can confuse young guys just starting to date, as well as the girls they’re dating. In romantic relationships, the two words matter much more than they do when you’re talking about Mexican food.
If a guy says “I love you” at the end of a date and the girl responds, “I like you too,” young brains can short-circuit trying to figure out what that means. These situations need a new word that means something between love and like.
“I lust you” just doesn’t sound right and could send the wrong message, more so to a female than to a guy. I hashed this over for at least three minutes and came up with “I loke you.” It combines both love and like, and I think it sounds kinda nice.
Miss Purdy told me that “I loke you” is a playful slang blend of like and love. In the romantic sense, it means affection stronger than liking someone but not quite love.
When I first tried this expression out on my wife, she gave me an angry stare, misinterpreting what I said. Unfortunately, loke sounds too much like loathe with my Southern accent, so I had to explain quickly.
Thankfully, I’m well past the dating stage. Young guys will undoubtedly still struggle with when to use love instead of like. If they choose wrong, the worst thing that can happen is that no calls will be returned afterward.
As Grandpa Hankins used to say, “There are more fish in the sea.” He never mentioned that this phrase should never be repeated ‘at all costs’ during a romantic spat!
