Dating is hard enough as it is but adding the layer of “Oh I’m also widowed” changes the landscape drastically. For some of us, we don’t even think about dating and for others we have reached a point in our life where we can begin to date again. I know Clayton would want me to be happy and that no one will ever replace him in my heart. So I have started to put myself out there more and more.
Of course I started to see a guy just before the pandemic hit. We kept chatting until he just stopped returning messages. Social media posts updated me that he was probably pursuing another guy. I’m fine with that. We’re not a match but could you at least have the decency to tell me? Guess not…
Well fast forward a few weeks and a friend introduced me online to her single friend and we hit it off. A weeks worth of conversations and texts lead to planning a virtual “first date”. We would grab takeout, a bottle of wine and have dinner together to get to know each other. It was last Saturday. I had the day off and planned around the date. I even waited to write my blog last week to be able to share how it went. Well there was no blog post last week because there was no date.
I had my food all set, computer ready and thirty minutes past the time we set I texted him. He saw the message and didn’t respond for a while. I texted again and he finally came back telling me he fell asleep. No attempt to call or big apology. We haven’t talked since.
So my pride was a little hurt being stood up (as anyone’s would be) but it’s the fact that he knew I was widowed and that dating has been a hard situation to navigate. Dude! You stood up someone who is widowed. What in the actual hell? That takes a special kind of not caring. His loss and I dodged a bullet. Now to get back out there and hope to find someone who wants to be with me for everything I have to offer including my widowed wisdom…