ROMANCE

After months of dating debacles via Yahoo Personals, I had pretty much given up. Ohhhh, the stories I could tell (and the names WOULDN'T be changed to protect the guilty!)...

But I won't bore you with that. The bottom line was - I'd had *enough!* I was perfectly content with "going solo" and pursuing my dream of buying a bigger, better boat...

So what the hell happened?!

One lonely, rainy night (February 28, 2001 to be exact), I found myself perusing the Yahoo Ads, looking for 'yuks.' You know the kind of ads I'm talking about (or maybe you don't! If you'd like to see a sampling of mankinds' lowest common denominator - take a look at Yahoo Personals sometime! It's positively AMAZING the kinda crap people post out there!). So anyway, I'm surfing the Yahoos when I found something unusual... An ad that, well, seemed (dare I say it?!) "Sincere."

Obviously, this was another case of "Demonic Possession" because somehow-or-other, I ended up sending off an email to this poor, lonely soul (who, like damn near every other Yahoo I'd ever encountered was undoubtedly married with six illegitimate children and outstanding warrants in at least seven different states and/or undergoing treatment for a severe psychiatric disorder)...

Wonder of Wonders... He actually wrote back. We corresponded for about a week... Graduated to phone conversations shortly thereafter and found that we had quite a bit in common. We were both outdoorsy, yearned for warmer weather, and we both had topless red sportscars (He won - with an '88 Corvette!). Conversations were pleasant and came easy so we agreed to meet (GASP!) face-to-face...

The First Date

In keeping with my "Meet at a Public Place" rule, we agreed to meet at the Summit Steakhouse in San Jose on March 11. I arrived at 11:30 am on the dot (He was *quite* impressed with my punctuality - nevermind that I had to top 90 mph in order to make it on time. I later learned that this was viewed as yet *another* endearing quality in his eyes!). He was particularly pleased to see a wild-haired blonde pulling up, with the top down, and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth!

I'd have to say the first date went *extremely* well. Having been on countless "Yahoo Dates," I'd developed a somewhat lackadaisical attitude toward the whole concept of dating so I felt pretty relaxed, overall. Rog, on the other hand, was as nervous as a schoolboy. Shy even! I found it absolutely precious!

I can't say that it was exactly "Love at First Sight" - "Intriguing" would be a more accurate description. But we seemed to hit it off pretty well and the more we talked, the more we found we had in common. Our musical tastes could best be described as 'eclectic' (including an appreciation for classical music. Rog played the clarinet, I played piano - among other instruments. And we both despise rap). We were both, shall-we-say a bit on the "mature" side and neither of us had ever been married or had children (ergo "No Baggage" - which is rare in kids our age). We ended up taking a drive in Scarlet, his absolutely pristine '88 Corvette (Okay, here's where there's a little disparity between us. He's a Neat-Car Fanatic and, well, I'm not exactly driving a rolling dumpster - but close!!!). Anyway, we found some twisty country roads down in the South Bay and had an absolutely splendid time together. I was particularly impressed with the fact that, as we were racing down the road, people would actually PULL OVER to let him pass. I thought aloud "I gotta get me one of these!" (and I have to give him credit for being very low-key about his car, he wasn't all "Look at me, I drive a Corvette" 'cause that woulda rated an instant de-merit!)

At the conclusion of our date, Rog was *quite* the gentleman and gave me a hug and a quick kiss goodbye. I had little doubt that I would hear from him again (and, in fact, I was looking forward to it!)

The Second Date

Welll... Obviously he called! I was placed in charge of Date #2. A picnic in the redwoods. I had wanted to thrill him with my culinary expertise but I seem to recall I had some sort of boat-related emergency. Plus, the fact that I could only run one electrical appliance at a time kinda put a damper on the whole concept of "cooking." I ended up heading out to Trader Joe's (I go positively nuts there, as a rule. That day was no exception!). I must've packed enough food to feed a Third World Country! So much, in fact, even the passers-by on horseback commented on it! Oh well! At least I made a good impression!

The Third Date

Wasn't really a "date" in the classic sense. We just sorta agreed to meet halfway - at a commuter parking lot off the highway in Woodside. I have some vague recollection of being chased out of Vista Point by the Highway Patrol (we'd perfected the art of necking by that time!). I have *never* seen anyone start his car so quickly and I was laughing so hard I was crying!

Long Story Short...

I guess it kinda goes without saying that things were going well... I won't bore the world with all the dirty details of our courtship. Suffice it to say that we both became very smitten very quickly. Trouble was: I was in the middle of buying a new home and planning on continuing my existence in South San Francisco - over 50 miles away... And, well, the boat I had selected was something of a "Fixer-Upper" and would've required a great deal of time and effort for rehabilitaion...

Enter the Fickle Finger of Fate (Oops - I'm showing my age, aren't I? And if you have to ask, don't bother - you won't "get it!"). My efforts at buying the boat in Seattle were meeting with numerous stumbling blocks. Damn near show-stoppers, in fact. It was very frustrating because I'd already spent a great deal of time and money in trying to seal the deal on this boat in Seattle (in fact, I'd had to fly to Seattle to arrange a haul-out and survey - and, this was the first weekend that Roger and I were to be apart since we'd met. He couldn't bear it so he hopped on a plane and flew up there to surprise me - Awwwwwwww!!!)

I finally reached a point where I had to step back and ask myself what it was that The Universe was trying to tell me (here we go with that Ooky Spooky Crap again!). The boat, as hard as I was trying to make it work, just *wasn't* working. The relationship that I never really wanted was beginning to blossom... Seemed I had a choice to make...

I chose the relationship, obviously (although at times I find myself wondering which *really* woulda been more work!!! ;-)

To Be Continued...