Personally I would swap out one for “kind”, you know, the type that blinds and binds even when you walk away. So alluring and so seductive when you meet someone who walks the talk, unafraid to commit to humankind, modest when recounting the joy in helping others.

Endearing, touching, selfless, it’s rare to find this “kind”. But when you do, it hits you between the eyes… and like chocolate, craving more. Life IS like a box of chocolates, Forest! I’ll take two boxes, please.

Courmeyer Italian Chocolates

This week my fine dining-mate showed up in his wedding duds. These weren’t your ordinary tails and tie combo. His garb is actually a love story that spoke volumes on his shirt, vest, and jacket!

His left cuff displayed their nicknames “Honey” and “Bunny” and on his right cuff their wedding day and date. Take a peek at a panel on his vest and you will find a swatch of his grandmother’s wedding dress!

Thank you, my friend, for inspiring love. Yours is a grand love story that I know will be continued for many generations.

So last Sunday “I met a guy”. We circled and photographed this brilliant white art installation “Untitled” by Rachel Whiteread at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

With one eye on our lens and one eye on the installation, however, if we had a third eye, I thought it would have been on one another.

Feeling a bit bold, I approached him, “Who is the artist?” He smiled broadly and welcomed the chance to chat. His eyes lit up as he described Whiteread’s works. He was a fan and he was an architect.

We chatted enthusiastically about art and architecture. I thought how wonderful (and comforting on a rainy dreary day) it was to have stumbled upon someone like him. Then he dropped The Married Man Line which usually starts off with “My wife is/does/lives …..” So now it was my turn to smile.

I wanted to break out into song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fu-unnn.” Instead we chatted a little longer. Then politely I thanked him for the introduction to the artist and walked away with another opportunity to say to my friends “I met a guy.”

Had a friendly chat with the guy-in-Starbucks-queue (where els?). I commented on the desserts at eye level. Recommended the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.

I said, “I bet you take your coffee black.
“No, a latte.”
“No kidding. But not non-fat, right?”
“Non-fat.”
“No way. Extra-hot?”
“Only when on duty.”
“Over there?” pointing at a supermarket.
“No, like 007.”
“Well then, you must have a few good stories.”
He grinned and handed me his business card.
“Cool. Next time in town, let’s have lattes!”

A week goes by, no follow up by either one of us.
Oh well, maybe he switched to tea. (wink)
Too bad. I should have taken him for a real latte like this one:

Latte Love

If there’s a price on love, how would you go about it? Is everything “yours, mine, and ours” or would you dump it all under “ours”?

Do you fall in love, all in, head over heels, no turning back, merging lives, merging bank accounts? You believe love is forever eternal, mutual trust, 100%, no questions asked, no doubt, no turning back. “I love you with all my …. assets?” Love will keep us together.

Or do you keep one foot on the dock and one foot in the boat, hedging, anticipating, planning for D(ivorce) Day, maintaining separate bank accounts (maybe trending towards separate beds…just saying), nothing ventured, nothing gained? “Honey, I’m buying us a house but it’s MINE, lock, stock, and barrel. And to make sure what’s mine is mine, MY lawyer just dropped off the papers. JUST SIGN HERE…JUST IN CASE…JUST SAYING…How much is your “love” is worth?

How about a happy medium? There’s a couple I know, 30+ years together, her hand in his, one joint bank account for sharing “household” expenditures. “Isn’t YOUR turn to pay?” Is the price of love worth the cost of dinner for two… “But darling, didn’t we agree that this is a household item? Just saying….where is the love? It could be there. After all….30 years of wrangling must be worth something.

Finally a couple who after many years living together decides to get hitched to shout out their love to the whole wide world…until prospective hubby comes home, clutching a receipt and says, “Your half of the ring is $$$. Will that be VISA or Mastercard?”

Some things are better left unsaid. Just saying…Period. C’est fini! THE END

Then where is the love?

Stop and take a look around.

Open mind, open heart, love at long last….

A Splendid Cast of Characters

She: What type of men have you dated in the past?
Me: An interesting range….hey, today is Mr. Foreign Correspondent’s birthday! Last seen at lunch in Jakarta in 1989, I think…
She: You should connect to say hello.
Me: He’d be easy to find. I heard he finally settled down somewhere in Europe.

Curiosity got the better of me so I wrote: “Bumping into ghosts from my past so why should you be excluded? Without further googling, how are you?” To my surprise, he replied!

We caught up, he, as always, well-mannered and kind; me, happy he re-connected; us, having fun reminiscing. Some ghosts are safe to let out of the closet, although others should remain!

Love Is In The Air

Flinging their bags into the plane’s overhead compartments, they exchange their first of many furtive glances. She notes his female companion. He notes her!

On his 4th trip to the washroom at the back, he finds himself trapped behind the drinks cart. She keeps one eye on her iPad and the other on his return but after a few moments, wonders where could he possibly have gone?

She gets up, walks towards the back, and there they were, in the company of the flight attendants, grinning across the Diet Cokes and Mott’s Clamato.

They settle in for their short island hop. He nods off with his head resting on his companion’s shoulder. She continues to tap tap tap on her iPad.

Stuck at the baggage carousel, his companion spies Her, nudges Him, and whispers, “There she is. Go on, she’s The One!” He walks over, shyly but smiling broadly, and offers a hand with her luggage. He then introduces himself and his sister to Her. They both exclaim now at the restaurant last night in the company of friends, “The rest is history! Love was in the air…and now on the ground!”

Love Lights Up!