“Love liberates. It doesn’t bind. Love says, I love you. I love you if you’re in China. I love you if you’re across town. I love you if you’re in Harlem. I love you. I would like to be near you. I’d like to have your arms around me. I’d like to hear your voice in my ear. But that’s not possible now, so I love you. Go.” ― Maya Angelou

Since I have run out of available bachelors in New York State, I have branched out to other states. Just kidding… Maybe not.

BW is 59 years old, works in data marketing and lives in Boston. He looks and acts much younger than his years.  That is a plus.

We had exchanged messages for a couple of weeks, then met this past weekend.  He had to bring his son to New York City, so it was convenient for him to stop by and meet me.

He booked a room at the Marriott Residence Inn for Friday night.  He mentioned he could extend his stay if I wished.  We had dinner at Modern Restaurant, my go-to lately.

He brought me these gorgeous flowers all the way from Boston. Extra points for that.

We got along super great.  There were sparks and tons of laughs. However, I have other things to consider besides chemistry.  

He has been divorced for 2 years and has 2 pre-teen kids.  The kids stay in the family home and the parents take turns.

He is stuck in Boston, and will have a lot responsibility for the next 8 to 10 years.  Do I want to move to Boston? Do I want to be in a long distance relationship for that long?

My other concern besides the distance is that he seems to be dating anything in a skirt.  I question how serious he would be about about dating only one person, near or far.

After the dinner on Friday night, we went by my apartment.  I wanted to show him where it was so he could meet me the next day.  I invited him in to show my mosaics.  And by mosaics, I mean mosaics!

“Distance had an extraordinary power.” ― Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

I gave him a tour.  He left after a few minutes.  The next morning, we met outside my building around 10am.  We were going to walked around town for a little bit, but it was way too cold and windy.  So we just walked to the bakery and the bagel shop, then returned to my apartment.  

We stopped by my sister’s apartment and invited her over for breakfast at my apartment.  It was fun, we all we were joking and talking as if we had known each other for years.

After my sister left, we just spend the time talking and laughing.  Apparently I am a funny person.  Because of the late breakfast we had a late lunch of tuna sandwiches around 2pm.  He thought the sandwich was delicious. 

He left to go back to Boston around 4pm.  I didn’t ask him to stay another night.  He was great company, we had sparks and all, but I thought another night it would be too much for a first date.

He is supposed to return in a couple of weeks.  I want to reflect on this a bit more, before I actually have him return.  

In the meantime, this just happened… just because I mentioned a first date from Friday to Sunday would be too long, what about a first date from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning?

Yes, that is what is in store for next weekend.  Yes, he is not from NY.  Stay tuned.

“But then why, when talking on the phone, did they quarrel, on average at least once every four sentences? Maybe, though the inspector, it was an effect of the distance between them becoming less and less tolerable with each passing day, since as we grow old – for every now and then one must, yes, look reality in the eye and call things by their proper names – we feel more keenly the need to have the person we love beside us.” ― Andrea Camilleri