So I met this guy...

Without going into all the details, let's just say the past few years could be considered a dry spell in the relationships department for me. In any case, without knowing the protocol for what is blog appropriate, I feel compelled to at least pen something of this new development, if only for my own reference, at some point down the road.

So I met this guy. For all intents and purposes, I will nickname him "NYE guy." We met at a bar on New Year's Eve (hopefully now the nickname makes sense), and ended up having some great conversation before he departed for a party. In that conversation, the party I was having the following evening came up, and a wager was made. The stakes: $5. The bet: that NYE guy would not actually show up to my party. Phone numbers were exchanged; to be honest, I didn't think it was a number I would ever use. So imagine my surprise when I heard from him the following evening!

However, before you get too excited, NYE guy did not make it to my party. (Yes, that's right, I made $5...booyah!) He was "unfortunately called into work" and couldn't make it. Likely story right? After that line, I just assumed that I would never see or hear from him again. But that was not to be. He was very insistent upon us getting together again sometime soon.

So one fateful Thursday last week, I met him for dinner. We had a really nice time and the conversation was effortless. I kept thinking, "Could my streak of bad first dates finally be over?" Oh, how my fingers were crossed! After dinner we decided to meet a couple of his friends' wives for drinks, since they happened to be at the same place we were. Everything was going smoothly, until I heard those famous little words, "There is something I need to tell you." Oh great! Now what?!

He proceeded to inform me that he has a 2 1/2 year old daughter. Now let me be clear, I really don't mind the fact that he has a daughter, however his approach for telling me of her existence left much to be desired. I realize that there may not actually be a "good" way to tell people things like that on a first date, but (and gentlemen, please take note) if nothing else at least do it when it is just between you and your date, so that any and all subsequent questions can be answered promptly. Simply mentioning news like that and then moving on with the conversation, not his best move.

Needless to say, over the past few days, my mind has been racked with questions about the details surrounding how he came to be a father, and the possible pros and cons to this element, if a relationship should blossom between us. I realize that may sound a bit hasty, but I am afflicted with overthinking and over-analyzing, so there was no stopping it once my mind started rolling. In any case, my reservations towards pursuing this developed and have remained in the back of my mind, until last night.

NYE guy and I went out again last night, my reservations in tow. We saw a movie, obviously not the ideal place for a much needed conversation, but not wanting to let him off the hook that easily, I suggested we go get a drink after. So over a couple of beers, I pried. And to his credit he was a good sport about it. He agreed that dropping that sort of news so casually on the previous date was probably not ideal and proceeded to tell me the whole story.

Since it isn't my story to tell, I won't share all the details. The jist of it is that he was previously married and while they tried very hard to make it work between them, especially for the sake of their daughter, it just was better for both of them to seperate. Without saying anymore, all I can say is that any reservations I had going into date 2 are gone. I'm not saying that if this grows into something there won't be complications later, but for now I'm not going to think about that. I'm just going to let life happen.

Hopefully more stories to come soon. :)