As some of you know, our first actual date was in Melbourne, just before Xmas, after 11 weeks of writing and drawing. That’s a lot of energy we’d both invested. We’d chatted, smiled, laughed, expressed, disagreed, argued, apologized, made up, dreamed, revealed, asked and answered, even gotten teary, all by email, text, and a couple of postal things. No phone calls. No Skype. We’d each had multiple profile pics up though, and had actually texted a few pics back and forth (‘me with cat/me with dog’) so both knew the other was basically physically attractive (yeah, neither of us is completely crazy that foolish that brave enough to blind date!)

My text the eve before, & the reply. Final line is ‘…& our big adventure’

The day of our meeting dawned fine, not too hot (I admit I’d sacrificed a couple of virgin goats to the weather goddesses to ensure it wasn’t a 40 degree day). I had a favourite and comfortable outfit to wear (very important). We’d been in the same city for a couple of days before our 12 noon appointment under the main Flinders St train station clocks, and let me tell you, the excitement was building! Plus nervous tension; I’m surprised there wasn’t some kind of electrical storm over Brunswick St. Because guess what? My best friend SAW my online date BEFORE I did, walking fast past her the day before. Thank GOD I wasn’t there (I was an hour later though). Imagine that:  imagine if we’d bumped into each other on the tram, after all the bloody build up, and planning etc, looking kinda grungy and unprepared!??

Anyway, that didn’t happen. What did happen was that I ended up standing across the busy street from our meeting place, listening to one of my favourite funky tracks on my phone, determined not to be the first one to arrive. I spotted ‘H’, cruising down the road, looking super relaxed and cool, and as I type these words, I’m aware I have the silliest, happiest, cutest smile across my face! Big Like at First Sight. (I can’t write ‘Love’ because, ya know, I’m a sensible grown up woman over 50, and you’re all sensible grown ups, and and and… because, ya know…)

I just stood, and waited to cross the multi-lane road with all the other Melbourne folks, who were just going about their normal daily business. But deep inside, my heart, adrenalin, and stomach danced the tango. My mind watched everything going on, like a hive opened up in front of me: trams arriving and leaving, cars stopping and starting, people talking and walking, buses and motorbikes noising, traffic lights flashing and beeping, breeze blowing, litter tumbling, buildings standing, clouds, sky and sun moving, and she asked:

‘Why is everything else only in 2D now, while ‘H’ is in 3?’