She’s Another Marilyn Lookalike Messenger, But This One Calls Me a ‘Man Without Manners’

I receive a friendly text from this gorgeous gal who resembles one of my favorite movie stars, whose picture is above, and beyond beautiful, the iconic Marilyn Monroe whose captivating image even graces my piano. This friend seeker lives in Santa Monica, California and runs so appropriately from her looks, a beauty salon. 

Knowing I’m a writer fond of wordplay, my equally beautiful Brazilian wife allows my engaging occasionally in some repartee with a messenger dying to meet me as long as it doesn’t go too deep, or last too long.  So, even though she’s the picture of Marilyn, I’ll end it with a dismissive missive, entwined with a soupcon of wit. 

These online proposals to be friends often come from movie star lookalikes who find older gentleman like me “interesting,” still somewhat handsome and perhaps having an even better-looking savings account, trust fund or stock portfolio.

They pop up unannounced out of nowhere on my laptop, a few quite charming and friendly, but looking about a third, sometimes a quarter of my age and they’re somewhere around the age Marilyn was when she was wed to slugger Joe DiMaggio, a marriage lasting just nine months, or were they innings. 

My wife says be careful as some suitresses are on phishing expeditions seeking to win not only affection, but trust, enough so they can eventually ask me to help them through some difficult circumstances, with what else?  Some fresh minted Moolah! 

Still, an exchange with a perfect stranger far away is alluring and fun sometimes, although I hope my wife won’t mind or take it the wrong way, for I’m just a playful wordsmith who’d never send a suitress a red cent, so help me.

Here’s a recent exchange with this messenger “friend” whose picture resembles one of my favorite movie stars. She presents herself as an attractive young girl named Alesha in Santa Monica, California.  It’s 6:35 PM on 2/24/25, and she messages me this:

I think I saw you at a party, but I can’t remember it. My memory is not very good.

Next day, “she” continues:

I think you look very familiar. I’m sure I must have seen you somewhere.

Finally, out of curiosity I couldn’t help just for fun responding to her, him or it:

Perhaps you did see me, Alesha, as I’ve been around the block a few times.

Then again, this month I receive another memorable messenger moment from the same alluring Alesha.  She keeps reminding me of Marilyn, plus a touch of Portman and a little Angelina Jolie sprinkled in, with a hint of Vivien Leigh, which almost makes me want say to her: frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. 

Perhaps the real mug behind that hauntingly charming Marilynish face is some not-so-nice dude, maybe an Atticus or Escobar.  Who knows? Frankly, my dear …

Hello Thomas, how are you?

Then when I don’t immediately respond, I receive another message via messenger, only this one much further from friendly.

Hello, Thomas, aliens have recently attacked the earth. Have you been abducted by aliens?

Then a few days later Alesha pokes me or jabs me once again, this time right in the heart, telling me this:  You are a man with no manners! 

So now I have decided to write back tongue-in-cheek a response which in retrospect made me think this episode could be this blog.  Here’s how I respond:

As you have beauty, Alesha, I have manners . . . . somewhere.  It’s just that I misplace them occasionally and must go searching for them.  But I have them.  I’m sure I do.  I’m positive! 

She responds: Please find them as I think you’re very nice and I’d like us to be friends.

I write back to her, him or it: I hope you’re reading my blog, especially yesterday’s at www.maddenmischief.com. Please share it with your friends. And now, I’ll sign off by wishing you the best of luck in finding a true friend, someone more your age, with manners.  But be careful not to sound like you’re phishing.     

And I hope your new friend has what you’re seeking, and most important is single and not like me, happily married!  So, Bye Bye Birdie or alas, my Alesha!

The End

Besides emails to attractive messengers pursuing him online, Tom Madden loves writing books like “Wordshine Man” telling why he seeks to brighten peoples’ lives as a modern-day bootblack shining not shoes but the minds of his readers, or about his PR clients at TransMedia Group, especially one such as ROKiT Homes providing affordable housing for victims of floods, fires and tornadoes for which Madden created Planetary Lifeguard, to blow the whistle on Climate Change.