Part 6 (2/2)

Nearing the one-year anniversary of 9/11, the ed from the cocoon I had unconsciously spun Most New Yorkers, at first, rallied around each other and beca the attack However, as the year progressed, I noticedtheainst the horrors they had suffered I too beca one of thenot only to New York City but also to the world, destroyed in a matter of minutes, my sense of self-importance and need for co was the last thing that concerned me at that point in my life However, after a year and a half of quiet solace, I decided that loneliness and self-denial would never bring back the thousands of lives lost or the buildings that were destroyed Solitude solves nothing, I decided

It was at that tiame I received a very romantic response to my profile from an Italian man named Paulo from Rome He wrote that he had enjoyed my profile the most because it was filled with richness of culture, passion, and adventure He explained that the majority of American woe Paulo attached was as qualitative as any I have ever seen on the cover of GQ Dark hair, piercing green eyes, five-o'clock shadow, just the right a froner white T-shi+rt co architecture at Cooper Union on a scholarshi+p, Paulo appeared h ht arm to excel in the family-owned olive oil business as Paulo claimed he did, he had decided that a second career was in order As a child, he had proven his love for Venetian architecture to anyone who knew him Paulo described his sues of six through twelve From the articulated sand castles to the dioramas he constructed, Paulo's love of architecture was noteworthy It was tie of thirty, to pursue his first love He stated that there were very few students near his age As a result, he considered online dating After a few good experiences, he was looking for a great experience

We spoke on the phone and our conversation lasted for over an hour His Italian accent allowedespresso at a corner cafe like the ones in the Piazza Navona Perhaps riding a Vespa on the Isle of Capri or even sailing through the canals of Venice in a gondola ht cure what had previously ailed e of scenery could liftued reed to meet at a beautiful, architecturally sound Catholic Church close by Paulo had chosen this church because of its traditional Italianon the third step, sarette, Leonardo DiCaprio-like He wore the same ensemble that he had worn in the photo he sent ot tofive foot ten inches, I would have worn flats that day Instead, in the heels I had chosen, I now loomed nearly six inches over him Nonetheless, I enjoyed our conversation i the inside of St Francis of Padua's chapel, to which I responded, ”Certainly Not only have I heardhere as well”

”In that case would you be willing to give me a private tour?” Paulo asked warmly

”By all ing-eyed Paulo and countless ”oohs” and ”ahs,” we exited the church, this tih the rear door behind the altar

”I don't knohat is more beautiful, you or the church,” Paulo exclaier an issue, for his words and sentireatly, we agreed to hts later

We planned to meet at a restaurant of his choice, a trendy hot spot This time, I wore stylish flats and a pretty sundress We sat down, and he ordered so if I wanted any, and started to flatter me, Italian-style We shared appetizers, and he fed ht before the main course arrived, he told me that I had very cute cheeks

”Your cheeks are so cute, I would like to bite them,” Paulo proclaiood idea, Paulo,” I retorted

In thehis ht cheek quite firmly! Shocked and a tad disorientated, I excused myself and made haste to the restroom

As I stood in front of the mirror, I watched my cheek turn a deep purple as teeth marks from both his upper and lower jaw appeared At this point, the pain becah est painkiller I had withit doith some water, I headed back to the table to inform Paulo that I didn't appreciate his love bite I deized nor explained his behavior Normally a pacifist, I was so incensed that I wanted to haul off and hit hi deal and actually laughed about it I told hieous, and I didn't knohat they did in Italy, but in A houes and students tomorrow I also pondered if I still had any leftover penicillin from last winter when I had had a sinus infection If I did, the first order of business would be to so pills and then iceHow dare he! Who the hell did he think he was? Considering that his height was only five foot seven inches, I wondered if I should have told hiht frohts of over 250 pounds!! Who knows, ht have bitten one of them on the kneecap, to make matters worse than they already were

20

It's a S that I had bitten off s of another school year As Iof most school years has more work than any other tiood two et comfortable with the new class, parents, and recently hired staffthe school environment Noriving break However, this year was different because I was teaching the first grade! And this was no ordinary first-grade class; I was to teach children with developree qualified me to teach in this area, the district invited e Not only would I have to learn a new curriculum, but I also would have to relocate to another classroo To make matters more coarten the year before This was the best time to focus onalone

Slowly but surely the winds of November blew the leaves off the trees ”My God,” I said to , Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's would arrive Great! It would be another holiday season without the festivities I couldn't remember when I had last enjoyed a truly Merry Christ another lonely holiday season Duringin Chelsea, there had always been lonely-looking little old woals had survived their husbands by at least a dozen years, but I often wondered how they survived the holidays Occasionally I would witness the token appearance of one of these ladies' daughters or granddaughters or so me the standard, ”Happy Holidays” Come to think of it, I had noticedthe elevator and lobby of , to the point that I asked Ralph, the doorht) about this phenohed, he told me that I needed to research the few blocks I walked each day

”Why should I, Ralph?” I inquired

”Don't you know this is Spinster Heaven, Trish?” Ralph answered ”I hope you won't be a member of the chosen few club,” Ralph added as he opened the door and ses in tow

I watched this transaction in sheer horror! I saw h a similar door (if not the same door) in the distant future, with an ancient Ralph assisting s full of unnecessary gaudy clothing ”That's it,” I said tohabit Spinsterhood is not for ain, I researched the community now called Chelsea I learned that back in the forties and fifties, before Chelsea's alternative/ bohehties, and nineties, this was an enclave of professionals ”on their way to the top” In the forties and fifties, dentists, doctors and CPAs in the ravitated to Chelsea Most of the buildings in the area were zoned professional and residential, includingMy apartment in particular had been a dentist's office in the late fifties I only learned this after tearing up the grotesque lis of ere once partitioned walls separating the exa my landlady, who had ownedme that her father was the dentist who practiced there She also added that her mother worked as his receptionist and nurse She spoke fondly of the apartment and reminisced about the alley kitchen She rambled on incessantly about the innocent days where she would wait patiently for her parents to finish their workday, playing with her dolls and coloring for hours What struck me while she spoke was the fact that people back then needed et by I caain to anyone about how small my apartment was

Ironically, the next day, as I boarded the elevator fro aardly Introducing hi an aard s and expressed a yearning to as, and his sorized him as an out-of-towner, maybe from somewhere out west or even Canada In New York people don't sers for no apparent reason I politely said hello to hi there When he pressed the sixteenth floor button, I just knew that he was ot off the elevator and proceeded to unlocknext to rin as he said, ”I' I was thinking It was scaryabout the way I looked, as ular basis, I realized that ht to myself, ”this would have to be the day that I rushed ho to wait for the comfort of my own tub” Withbaseball cap, I realized hastly I wasn't in the mood for any new encounters Nonetheless, he seeuessed the little old lady next to me had either passed away or o every Wednesday It's a that in New York City, one could live next door to another person and not even know his or her nanedsite By the tied on, I realized the irony of my screen name, which read ”Girl Next Door in NYC” A few days later, while checking ly discovered an e- about recognizingme; he simply sent a ”forhing out loud, I felt the need to respond Returning the e-mail, I mentioned, ”As my screen name says, I actually am the 'Girl Next Door'!” ”To refresh your o”

At that , ”Well, golly gee,” as his s if I cared to ht about how easy and convenient it would be But with added thought, I decided that I didn't feel a connection, and it wasn't just his excessive s I wrote back: ”Thanks, but maybe we can meet sometime down the road instead”

Like a bad cold sore, I couldn't shake Mike for anything NoWhat puzzled me, however, was that his requests were always electronic I never heard hi,Mike knew the rules I developed a newfound respect for him in the way he allowed me my space He could have been a nuisance, since ere living so close, but I entleman and knew his place

Mercifully, I didn't see hiain, on the way to the gy (just like the first time I had met him), he entered the elevator, but this time he ith a woreeted , ”hello, Trish This is Samantha”

”Hi, Samantha, nice to meet you,” I said

Mike proceeded to tell me that Samantha hailed from tns north of Omaha-his own hometown She had just moved to New York

”That's nice Where did the two of youat the Gold Rush last weekend,” Mike proudly responded

What ) was their outright sirew up in the sa it must be to smile for no apparent reason Or ht than I thought: there's a key for every lock This instilled the strangest sense of hope inthan I did that

Part II

Hope Prevails

21

Finally! My Internet Date from Heaven

November 2003

After what appeared to be a lifetined le, hht to o as I pleased and not have to answer to anyone If I wanted to eat ice cream for breakfast every day for a year, I could do so without an onlooker criticizingchores without reprisal from an overzealous, anal-retentive husband I could date who out on, particularly, that wonderful experience of standing in line with all the other le! It sounded better and better thein-laws and wouldn't have to attend infinitely boring fa the holidays Those damn holidays! I couldn't seem to evade theo that I had foundin holidays like Christmas with its mistletoe and yuletide cheer, New Year's, with its noisemakers and silly hats, and Valentine's Day with its pink hearts and candy assortments After a year of near hits (if not nearthe harried world of Internet dating one last time I knew I had said ”one last time” before, so this time, I would use the word ”final” Final!! There, I said it My only probleirl I had always had hope for myself and foryears, I needed to draw the line in the sand

An odd sense of hope envelopedmy old screen name to a more subtle screen name My new screen name really spelled it all out How could any red-blooded Aed el”

Thinking of all the lessons I had learned regardingsucked into another hellish date or relationshi+p My next step was toeverything that had transpired over the last six years, I prioritized based on importance, to create arded everything else I had learned Instinctively I made sure that my potential date had a variety of recent photos attached, and I made sure that there was at least one head shot without a hat or sunglasses obscuring his true identity

Number one on my list was to not accept e-mails that were outside the tri-state area As et and patience orn out regarding the travel issue Nu-term relationshi+ps Number three was to select men ere neither flashy nor pretentious Next was to select a family-oriented man with a future in mind Finally (I know I already used that word), I would select someone who shared his love for the arts with others The other lessons that I had learned based on my experiences would have to be tested via the telephone and the first date

Returning ho friends in Philadelphia withtelephone Much toso off ned on to my Internet provider, I heard the ever-faot mail” Boy did I! I had fifty-two responses alone that day, and one-hundred-forty-one over the past three days! ”Wow, I guess that new screen naht to myself