Tennessee

We met in December, barely. Barely, in that it was very nearly January, 12/30 to be exact. Barely, in that after a couple hours, following a couple of months or perusing profiles, floating hello balloons, drafting and sending actual emails, few hits and many misses, I'd very nearly given up meeting anyone who might fit or at least anyone good for a few laughs, some good times.

Then..I saw her profile. I took in the photos, studied the text and thought, hmmm interesting. We are the same age. We like many of the same things. We have some differences that might make for energetic encounters. She is in another state. Some cause for concern, though, not an insurmountable obstacle, it's not that far. Her profiles states, no 'break the ice HIs, only real emails!' Well! I click to place her profile in the hot list to save, giving myself time to think about the email, the real email that would be sent later.

Little did I know that we was checking me out, checking her out. She'd seen that I had looked at her profile and decided to write, as it happens her email arrived in my IN box box while I was composing my email to her. I fired off my email, which now instead of being an introduction, was a reply. She replied right back. She expressed some concern about the physical distance between us, but would love to 'talk' with me. I seemed fun, she wrote and so different from every one else she'd encountered for months. I replied with similar sentiments.

For the next several days we emailed each other multiple times a day. She noted how exciting it was to get up in the mornings and 'see me in her box'. I tittered at her terminology, or more accurately, my connotation of her terminology. We shared mostly silly, non-essential factoids and stories about one another and our lives. Falling immediately into an easy camaraderie. At some point we moved the communication thread from the meeting site to our own personal email addresses.

The multiple daily emails continued for many more days. Soon we began chatting via Google chat. Soon, that hours of chats became known around my apartment as my 'dates' with one of the (g)oogle (l)esbian (b)uddies. This buddy and I chatting into the wee hours of many mornings.

We dated in this manner for for several days, a few weeks, during the Superbowl, the Academy Awards and more. Our emails and on-line chats and instant messages continued, growing in duration and intensity until 2/26. On this night we talked on the phone for the very first time. On the basis of this conversation and a few that followed, we decided we should meet, sooner rather than later. She was coming up on a break from work and other commitments and big bam boom, before I knew it, I was booked on a flight to see the her I'd been in near constant communication with for two months.

Filled with equal parts fear and excitement, the days until the 3/9 flight date couldn't pass fast enough. I let M and D know I was going. They both accepted the news with grace, D starting immediately to plan her party, asking me if I could be gone longer; M taking note to hang around home a bit more that weekend.

She and I continued to talk every day, via email, instant messages, on-line chats and telephone calls. In the interim there were even snail mail cards and letters. The flight date arrived, D dropped me at the airport a few hours early, with too much time to think. What I thought was, 'have I lost my mind?' That thought was quashed pretty quickly. I hadn't, I was sure. Still, I was nervous and excited, not knowing what to expect, what was going to happen.

I arrive and as you may recall, some kissing took place, eventually. In addition to the hours upon hours of delectable face suckage, there was talking, eating, drinking and.....laughing. Oh how we laughed! We had a ton of fun....laughing. So much so that I switched out my early Sunday flight to one later in the day, which I nearly missed. Oh, the fun! The laughing! The...WoW!

On the flight home, already missing her face, voice, I wrote her a letter in my journal. I copied it to stationery and mailed it the very next day. We are back to the daily missives and the hours on the phone. The daily, nightly phones calls quickly becoming the hi-lights of my days. I will go back in May. This time, instead of the 1 full day and some hours, we will have 3 full days and some hours. Three full, glorious days together. WoW, I am itchy twitchy with excitement. M is hoping to have secured his apartment and is tentatively planning to move out the very same weekend. D, upon hearing our news, danced a little jig, not quite believing she could be lucky enough to have the apartment totally to herself.

I will arrive on the evening of 5/3, in much the same manner as before, minus the nervousness. I know what to expect, I know what will happen, although she promises some surprises. WoW! We will go out for a bite to eat, some drink, talk and I'm sure, laughs. We will go home and spend the next hours and three full days thoroughly enjoying being in the same state, together.

I have a girlfiend. I love her. Her name is....Neta.