How I Super Bowled...

I was going to start with "so I met this guy", but I knew all the romantics out there would jump to the "and they lived happily ever after" part, so I didn't. This story doesn't end that way...at least I'm pretty sure it doesn't.

But I DID meet a guy (Super Bowl Guy or SB). He was in town on business and was definitely my type: early 40s, tall, thin, clean shaven with wonderful manners: helps me on with my coat, holds doors open, pays for EVERYTHING! The whole package. Quite the change from the men I've met in the last few years.

Yes, I did say he was in town on business. That's right, he's GU (geographically undesirable). We first met while I was having drinks with a colleague. He was doing the same. We hit it off right away (okay, maybe it was the three cosmopolitans I had). One of his colleagues said that he (SB) was divorced and he said something back, but I didn't hear it.

Our first meeting went late into the night and included several more cocktails. He called me the next day (on his way to the airport) to ask how I was doing. Geez! Thoughtful! He apologized for not paying for my taxi home. Generous, too!

We emailed and texted a few times over the next few days and then he called me at work and asked me if I'd like to go to the Super Bowl. (This was before the playoffs started and we knew the Bears would be in it.) Naturally, I was floored and blurted out, "yeah, sure." I mean, HELLO, have we MET BEFORE?!?!? The sports fan that I am?!?

In the same conversation as the invite to the Super Bowl, I pointed out that this was one helluva first date. SB got off the phone pretty quickly after that, but called me back just a few minutes later, asking me what I was doing for dinner the following Monday. Turns out, he had just set up a client meeting in Chicago, so we could have dinner and get to know each other better.

Did I mention the thoughtful thing?

Over our dinner, I found out a few things that made me realize that "happily ever after" wasn't a likely outcome: he isn't quite divorced yet, but in a situation that unfortunately reminds him of a disturbing part of his childhood; he has three children whom he would like to keep from reliving his own childhood; I'd only known him for a few days and here I was, planning a weekend trip with him; and, he's a METS FAN!

It took a lot of talking to him and even more deep thinking on my part, but I decided to just go to the Super Bowl and have fun. I wouldn't get emotionally involved because, quite simply, this situation had trouble written all over it.

And, you know what??? I surprised even me when I was able to do it- not get emotionally involved, that is.

Now, here it is, a few weeks past the Super Bowl and SB said he won't be in Chicago again till late March. Have I gotten phone calls, text messages and emails? Nope. Did I get flowers for Valentine's Day? Nope.

Am I broken up about it?

Nope.

Like I always say, "NEXT."