Happily Married

Womyn, I have resorted to a classy Craigslist posting. Made it a bit of a treasure hunt (men like that, don't they?) -- under Romance w4m, I put "Tired of the Same Old Fall-in-Love/Get Married/Have Kids Routine?", directing them to Miscellaneous Romance. I asked for a gentleman who appreciates a well-put-together woman on his arm. Nice, huh? A bit old-fashioned, touch of fetching vulnerability mixed with urban sophistication, wouldn't you say?

I was quite pleased, but did it help anything other than my own self-image? The verdict's not completely in, but I have to say that at least I avoided 1) outright porn pix sent to me and 2) panting/baby, baby responses. So what did I get? Hmmm, how about one who wrote offering something different -- he really likes outdoor, athletic activities. As you know, I'm in love with the Fläming skate path south of town, so I though, why not. We hooked up on the last day of summer (last Wednesday), went down on the train, toured a bit in Jüterbog, did 15 or 20K, and headed back in time for him to make a 4 PM conference call. He was a nice looking American, rather on the wiry side, but tall enough and more than capable of stringing a few intelligent sentences together. It was all going fine.

Not until 2 or 3 stops before he got off the train did he launch the topic, "So, you haven't asked me about my marital status." I, with my usual non-judgmental optimism about human nature, said, "I advertised for a gentleman and hoped that would make it clear". But no, according to him, he is happily married. OK, grrrls, I've had bi, poly, unhappily girlfriended, messy first-time cheaters, inveterate cheaters, and the unhappily married, but this is a new one for me. It's the first time he's done this, he tells me. Hmmm, I think, I guess you really need to work on your story.