About 10 years ago, I ran into a friend from my youth camp days. I had dinner with her and her pastor’s wife. I listened as Tricia talked about finding her true love. Her friend talked about her soulmate and their 6 children. They wondered aloud why a great gal like me was “still single.” A week or so later Tricia called me. She told me about this great guy, her pastor’s brother. I agreed to let Tricia give him my phone number. He lived about an hour away so I didn’t fear him just dropping by. The first phone call was awkward to say the least. He told me about his work in the ministry. Great! The second phone call he talked about his ministry. Good! He hasn’t gone back to his old ways. The next phone call he talked about coming to my town in a week. Okay. He has a reliable vehicle. The next phone call, 2 days before he would eventually come to my neck of the woods, he asked me what I was doing the day he came. Without knowing what I was saying, I ended up inviting him to have dinner with my parents. So the first time I met this shy guy, he was meeting my parents also. What had I done! Thankfully, my mother can have a conversation with a snail. Naturally Tricia called me the next night. I just didn’t see any chemistry. Being the give-people-the-benefit-of-the-doubt type of person I am, I think I still listened the next time he called. Tricia invited me to come visit her and her husband the following weekend. Great! I could use a get-away. Their church was having a bonfire, hayride Fall festival we would go to that Friday night. Mr. Personality would be there. I thought I would give him another chance. I could see him on his own turf with his friends and family. The hayride was fun- a truck full of adults, kids and hay. I forgot to pack a Claritin. The bonfire was good- nothing like smores and soot in your eye. The house of the hostess was decorated well. Again I was glad to say goodnight to this guy. Back at Tricia’s, we had some girl-talk time. She wanted to know what I thought about Mr. Not So Right for me. I told her that he has yet to ask me about myself…what I like to do for fun…about my goals for my future…about me. Before I went to bed, he called me. He asked me if I wanted to meet for breakfast in the morning before I left to go home. I figured I would let him down gently over hotcakes and sausage. He hadn’t spent “technically” any money on me yet. I said yes. While I ate my biscuits and gravy with a large chocolate milk, he asked me what I like to do for fun. He asked me about my goals for the future. This was Crestview, not the twilight zone. Before the check arrived and I order a to-go refill on my darkcow juice, I told him I really didn’t feel we had much in common. He might have mentioned liking to bowl as I walked to the ladies’ room while he waited to pay the bill. If I had only said sure, I might have gotten a piece of candy thrown in or an iced soda of Orange Cream. So many choices at Crackerbarrel. He waited to call until Sunday night. Bewildered, I politely responded with yes/no answers to his few questions. Again I said, we really don’t have hardly anything at all in common. Tricia called the next day. I relayed to her what I thought I had relayed to him. The next time he called, I didn’t answer. The final time he called, I didn’t answer. Tricia and I eventually lost contact. We reconnected last year. She doesn’t live in Crestview anymore. She hasn’t offered to fix-her-up anymore. I haven’t invited myself to visit. I am still a novice dater/courter.

Karen – FL