The answer is 7.
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You see, I can be abrasive -occasionally - when I meet now people for the first time. This happens when I am threatened or embarrassed and I respond with (perhaps defensive) humor.
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The problem here is that my defensive humor sometimes, SOMETIMES, can come off as offensive. But it just seems that way. It is just my defense mechanism.
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Also, I can be a little abrasive if I am tired. Or in a bad mood, or in a great mood, or feel fat, or you've been mean to a friend, or my dog, or it is a overcast day, or a day ending in the letter "y".
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Given that.... I can be, OCCASIONALLY, difficult to meet. I have wondered from time to time,how long it takes to get over this first impression and move on to finding me humorous. (D. Ali not included, I was in a great mood (we had just beat Nebraska!) and drunk and horny - so his experience skews the curve.)
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I know from experience it is a time greater than 1 hour.
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But Mike, Shaun's BF, actually had a time for it. Now Mike is the perfect non-LA control case. He is from Connecticut (I don't play well in CT). He is very good looking and Shaun had brought him to LA to show him off and Shaun's new 6 pack off (he was teaching spinning at the time). Shaun decided that we should all get together for a pool day.
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As I said, the perfect control situation for a test. Even down to the fact I was not aware of it as we began.
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I know the answer now though because a few week-ends ago on the boat Mike spoke to Eddie and I, "You know," Mike said. (and things normally do not go well when started with 'you know'). "You know, when I first meet Scott, I thought he was kind of an asshole. But then, later, I realized that this was just the way he was and he was kind of funny. He's that way to everyone, not just me."
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I forget if Ed or I asked him how long it took to come to this epiphany, but I do remember the answer.
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"About 7 hours. And I have really liked you ever since."