The next day I had over a dozen emails in my inbox. I could not believe it. It was pretty exciting. Some of that excitement ebbed a bit when I read some of them. I cannot believe the stupidity of some men. However a couple were quite interesting and I replied to them. If I got to the point that I wanted to meet in person I made sure that I met everyone at a nice restaurant down the street from where I worked. I felt safe there, knew most of the staff, and knew they would help me if there was any issues. It was exciting, but it was exhausting. Learning so much information about so many people and keeping it all straight in your head is tough work.Interacting with all of these men was exciting, but it was mentally exhausting as well. Keeping them all straight was difficult. I finally resorted to opening a diary for each on my computer and reviewing it before I talked to each of them. It was lots of work, but I kept at it. I started questioning if I could keep up the pace, but I was determined not to spend much more of my life by myself, so I kept at it.
I loved being one half of a couple, and I desperately wanted that again. In all my conversations with various men, one person seemed to be in my thoughts more often than most. His profile showed that he was not self absorbed and it was very well written. Articulate but concise. He said that he believed in equality for women and that he was in touch with his feminine side. My first instinct was that he was gay and just pulling my leg, but I later realized that hew was the genuine article. He was just a very caring person who believed that women were not second class citizens. He told me that he had not always been so open minded, but he had spent many years in Europe, and had seen what can happen when people let outside cultures influence society's mores. He had been transferred back to our city fairly recently.
Since I loved Europe, and had been there many times on vacation, and also loved most winter sports as he did, we seemed to have a lot in common that we could talk about. It was funny how it was that I had started talking to him in the first place. It was all from the wording of his first email. He had no picture on his profile at all, so at first, I did not know what to expect. Eventually I got him to email me a snapshot. It was not that clear, but at least I knew that he was taller than he was wide, and had most of his hair. But by that time I would not have cared all that much anyway. His personality had me totally mesmerized by then. Because he seemed too good to be true, I was a bit nervous about giving him my personal information. When we first decided to talk on the phone, I convinced him to give me his phone number instead of my giving him mine. It just seemed more prudent. I intended to use call blocking when I called. He gave me his number but I was actually too scared to call at first. But after reflecting on the silliness of it all, I finally got up the gumption to call. It changed my life.
He was just so amazing. In real life he was even better than online. So sweet, and always a gentleman. For that first date we met at a nice little restaurant that we were both familiar with. I got there first, worried that it would make me look needy, but I could not help myself. I am compulsive about being early to everything. My biggest concern was that we would not click. As I looked towards the door, in walked this gorgeous hunk of a man. He had black hair with just a touch of grey, he just stood there looking for me for a minute then came over and sat down. I was in complete awe. We talked and laughed and shared some personal stories. Time was streaming by but I could not stop it. I did not want it to have to end. It was too bad that we were only planning a meal together. The time was going by too fast. We left after he paid the bill. I noticed that he left a nice tip as well. He kissed me when we got to my house. As he drove away, I sighed. Everything was just too good to be true. The chemistry for me had been instantaneous. I already knew that he was the one.
We had several more dates after that, and it seemed that every date was better then the one before. But something began to bother me. I had not been exactly truthful about my age in my profile. My friends convinced me that it was a marketing exercise and that stretching the truth a bit was expected. I had only shaved three years off of my age, No big deal. But nobody likes to be lied to. It is a breach of trust, and once broken can become a huge issue in a relationship. It was not good that I had started our relationship with a lie. I decided to tell him the truth when I felt the time was right.
One night, he took me to a small club for a drink. The waiter asked me for proof of age with a smile on his face. I just knew that my honey Max had put him up to it. So just for fun I took my drivers licence out to show him, we all had a good chuckle about it. Max asked if he could see my license and I just passed it over without a thought. He said, “Holy cow, you're fifty four!” I sat there in shock. Then he started laughing like an idiot! When I asked, “What's so funny?” He said that he had lied about his age as well. In the final analysis it ended up that our actual ages were two years apart. He was just a bit older than me. We both laughed that we had each started out with a lie.
We dated for about six months. In the wee hours of the morning, he called me. I was startled out of a very deep sleep where I was dreaming about cavorting around with him in our mutual all-togethers. He said he needed to talk to me right now, and that It couldn’t wait. He would not tell me anything over the phone. So I waited with mixed emotions for twenty minutes or so until he arrived. He walked in and announced, “I need to say something that cannot be put off any longer.”
I braced myself for the worst, even opening a box of Kleenex because I was sure I was going to need them. Well I needed them, but in a good way. He asked me to marry him. He said he had never been so happy with anyone in his life, and that he knows I'm the one. I had to say yes. I mean what else could I do. I was madly in love with him.
For the last three years, since we have been married, I have been blissfully happy. When I had thought of my first marriage in the past, I wanted something as good. When I look back on it now, I realize that it had been the shell of a marriage. What I have with Max has eclipsed it in so many ways. The honeymoon never ends. And to think I found him on an online dating site. Someplace that I had thought of as a last chance place to meet someone!
The saga of Max and I is just starting. But I am eternally grateful to the online dating industry for bringing us together. No matter what you think about them right now, don't ever be shy or embarrassed about joining an online dating site. In my opinion, they are the future of courtship.
Below I have posted a link to one of the resource sites that I used. The sites referenced there are some of the best and are well organized. There are so many to choose from you are sure to find what you want. Good luck in your search!
Advice for Women
