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Tuesday, Apr. 20, 2004 - 11:15 p.m. WAITING I remember vividly that Sunday before this past Mardi Gras. I had been dropped off by my mother at the New Orleans port terminal to await my bus to Gulfport, Mississippi where my diverted cruise ship was supposedly waiting. When I showed the cruiseline representative my ticket, she in return gave to me another ticket with a number that represented the bus shipment I would be boarding. Little did I know at the time that the bus shipment would not arrive for another fourteen hours. The prolonged wait left me wandering around the New Orleans Riverwalk doing anything to amuse myself as I hoped my bus would arrive at anytime. Like many other anxious people, I resorted to frequenting the daiquiri stand right at the entrance of the mall. After buying my third daiquiri, I sat by myself on an empty bench on the balcony section of the Riverwalk that overlooked the mighty Mississippi. A few minutes later an old man came up to me and asked if the seat next to me was taken. I said no, and he proceeded to sit down and introduce himself. Apparently, he too was from Baton Rouge and was going on the cruise. He was also a state employee and a major Tiger fan. During the wait and as well as much of the cruise, this old man and I kind of just became buddies. He was traveling with his sixteen year-old son and eighty year-old mother. We ran into each other several times during the trip and we always had something to talk about. His son came with me and a couple of other single guys on our Cozumel excursion. When the cruise was over, he insisted that we stay in touch. Since then, we have been to a couple LSU baseball games together. He has also invited me to a barbeque he is going to have at his house before the LSU football team’s spring practice game this upcoming weekend. I bring this man up because, after spending time at a game with him tonight, I have realized that from a companionship standpoint, I would probably rather spend my time with him than the preschool teacher. He and I just have so much more in common. At the same time, I am wondering if I am comparing apples to oranges. Am I supposed to be able to compare the time I spend with a male friend to the time I spend with a woman who is supposedly a potential relationship partner? If I am supposed to enjoy my companionship with a woman in a similar way, where do I find such a woman? Up until now, all my dates have been through the internet. I resorted to this avenue just to get experience dating, not necessarily to meet anyone. My ultimate objective was to develop a social life through people while no longer having to resort to a computer. Nothing has materialized from this aspect. I can only conclude that I simply have not been around enough in different circles meeting new people. If this is the case, I can no longer afford to wait for them to find me sitting alone on an empty bench and then start talking to me. |