On Hiatus

A few months ago, I took "The Dating Diaries" down from my website out of respect to the person I had started dating. For purposes of this story, I'll call him Great Guy. I had told him I wouldn't write about him in my tales, as I could only imagine how I'd feel in his shoes if I was dating someone with a website, who also had a quick wit and a clever way of nicknaming dates.

Alas, it is with regret that I bring this up now in the context of a more permanent hiatus, so to speak, for the dating diaries, because in the past couple of days this relationship of only a few months has ended quite abruptly and I am planning to take a vacation of sorts from the merry-go-round that is modern romance. It is one of only two that have been of real importance to me in the almost two years since my divorce and it was one that was really just beginning. The story I will write here is, I suppose, somewhat of a Carrie Bradshaw-esque cautionary tale. . .

We grew up in the same town. Much like me, he was raised by a family who emphasized church on Sundays, opening doors for ladies, and basic good Southern upbringing. He walked on the outside of the street when we went out [though he admitted learning this from a put-out girlfriend who got annoyed when he didn't know this automatically which was pretty endearing, to be honest!]. He always called when he said he would, and somehow managed to be both charming and still cool when he used the phrase "how I'm courting you." Yet he also had a tattoo and was a fantastic kisser and had a little bit of an edge. We both believed in tipping well, being gracious and friendly with servers and all people you generally meet, be they your date's friends or the waiter or busboy. Neither had to worry about carrying the other in conversation or finding a huffy, pouting date upon returning from the restaurant bathroom; each of us was likely to have engaged the bartender or waitress in lively conversation and quite amused ourselves! His thoughtfulness on our dates exceeded that of anyone I'd ever gone out with, and made me want to do the same for him on the occasions he let me return the favor. He didn't grow up with as much WASP-y privilege as me, but we got each other. Or so it seemed.

We'd been seeing each other about two months this week and it had just started to really feel comfortable. Girls will likely know just what I mean when I say there had been absolutely no angst at all on my end, I mean none, about where we were

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