Missed Connection

The most beautiful NYC missed connection I've ever read..

In the fall of 1973 I was studying as a freshman at NYU, and after failing to make my initial train home to Maine, I was rushing through Grand Central on the evening before Thanksgiving 1973 when I spotted you, emerging from one of the railways, with a look of utter confusion on your face. You had the blondest hair I had ever seen, and a plaid dress. I had never seen a plaid dress before.

I was, in those days, terribly shy, and if I am honest with myself, I've never shook that stubborn sense of timidity or loneliness in crowds. To this day, trying to explain the uncharacteristic courageousness that seized me in that moment, and inspired me to walk up to you and say "are you lost?" is almost completely beyond me.

You were studying at Olberlin, and on your way to spend Thanksgiving with your aunt in Jersey City. After explaining to you where you could get a bus, I asked, in spite of knowing it would mean sacrificing my last chance to spend the holiday with my family (and likely infuriate my over-protective mother), if you wanted to get a drink and you said yes.

We walked out into a rainy Manhattan street and ducked into the first (cheap) bar we saw, where I ordered us two bottles of beer. Now in my 50's, when with any luck a man might finally begin to acquire that elusive thing called wisdom, I know that there is nothing more exciting yet rare in life than making a true connection with someone. I have always been too sentimental for my own good, but in all honesty, I have never felt more at ease with anyone than I did laughing and talking to you that dimly lit midtown bar.

When I confessed that I purposefully missed my train to keep talking to you, you smiled slyly and said "well I guess it's only fair that I miss my bus." With no money for a cab, we walked to my Lower East Side dorm room, which was deserted aside from my German classmate Franklin, who kindly gave us a half-finished bottle of red wine.

We made love that night, and in the morning coached one another through shaky phone calls to our angry relatives back home. With the November cold turning the night's rain into a dreary wintery mix, we stayed in bed all day, sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes, discussing politics and philosophy. You told me you had never felt "so New York before."

That evening, you took a bus to Jersey City. A few weeks later I received a letter from California. You sent no return address, and I never saw you again.

I have been married twice since then - once divorced, and once widowed. I have had a successful career as an English professor, and am a proud father. My life has known its share of triumphs and heartaches, of love and loss. Against my better judgement, I haven't forgotten that day - and, at least once a year, while mowing the lawn, or reading a newspaper, the details come back to me.

Perhaps, if life's strange circumstances can permit it, we can have a second drink.

Band Mates

I was in the same section of band as my gal. Over the summer when she was a freshman, I had all the freshmen's phone numbers in case they needed clarification on something before band started. I randomly texted them all to say happy 4th of July and she was the only one who gave a fun response. Since then we became inseparable best friends for a few months before we decided to go to homecoming as Bf and Gf. Best decision of my life was to text her that day

I Love You.....Even Though You Aren't My Boyfriend

I met him in my freshman year of college in this little hangout I tend to haunt on campus. Just a round room, lots of couches, chairs, a tv, pool tables and pop machines. I had seen him around campus for weeks and thought he looked mysterious. One day I show up at my usual hangout and there he is, sitting by himself, curled up in a chair drawing. So I pace around and chat with my friends while I figure out what to say to him. I finally muster up my courage and approach him, asking "Whatcha drawin'?" He responds in a deadpan tone: "Graphite on wood pulp." I was embarrassed and pissed, so I stomp off saying "Fine! Be an asshole!" The next time we spoke, we argued again over video games. He kept being there and we kept talking and very slowly became friends until that next spring when my boyfriend of a year left for a week to Italy. It was during this trip that I called him for the first time and we spent 5 hours on the phone. Every day that week we spent 6+ hours on the phone and by the end of it, I was crazy about him, but was unwilling to really think about it (remember, I had another relationship). Fast forward to that fall when he tells me in a shy, sheepish kind of way that he loves me. I spent the next two months tormented over my feelings for him versus my feelings for my boyfriend. In November, he flipped his SUV three times and it shocked me into realizing how I felt about him. I drove to his house in a panic to find him unharmed. That New Years he got incredibly drunk and spent two hours vomiting while I held his hair back while he gasped that he loved me with every breath. Two days later, while he was sleeping on the couch at the house my boyfriend and I shared, I snuck into the living room to talk to him (boyfriend was asleep and I couldn't). He told me he loved me and I said it back. We ended up on the floor making out and I broke up with my boyfriend two days later.

Tomorrow will be our sixth year being together. We got married in Grenada last July and have an apartment of our own. We're thinking of trying for our first child next summer. :)

Known Her All His Life

I met her in grade 7. This is a long story but I'll try keeping it short.

She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen..Lets call her Oriana. At my age.. you knew, she was the type of girl you would have never gotten. So I started asking girls out.. (Come on, I was 12 at that time.) and lets say, that ended pretty quickly.

Fast forward to about December..

I got invited by a friend to a little get together. She was there.. You know at this age we're still pretty corny. We played Truth or Dare.. Shit.

So It was my turn. (Truth) "How much do you like Oriana?" "A lot"

I spun it.. it landed on her.. FUCK. (Dare)

"I dare you to kiss.. Ken! (Me)"

She did. She was my first kiss ever.. well first one that meant something. (My real legit first one, used me to make some douche jealous. She didn't really count)

anyways, after 10-20 minutes we decided to end it. Everyone was scattered now. Some were playing xbox, upstairs eating, talking.. And I was on the laptop. She comes down, sits beside me and I straight up asked her if she would ever go out with me. It's been 6 years and I still remember the exact words she said.. "I would but you've been asking out way too many girls out. Its hard for me trust you."

Grade 10.. comes..

I saw her from time to time, and I smiled and she smiled. I didn't say a word because I was shy. The one day I said Hi she replied "Hey ken! :)"

That one day... man. It was the worst. I was real happy then I found out that was her last day for a year and a half, because she was going to france for over seas studies.

It sucked. Anyways. Senior registrations come, I was with my girlfriend (Now ex) and I see her! I was only expecting a smile and a hey. Shes about 2-3 feet away from me, opens her arms, and we hug! We were both all red, smiling, and i forgot about my girlfriend. She was extremely mad. I totally forgot that she didn't have a clue who that girl was haha.

Anyways, we hugged, and I asked how france was, and how I was real sad that the one day I said something, she left the day after. Turns out she was real bummed out too.

When I talk to her, I feel like I could just run off with her somewhere, and forget about all my problems.

And you know I really do love her.. Every guy knows her because shes real hot. Comments I hear is "Dude her ass! Shes hot! her body!" like come on.. I think shes beautiful. She has the most perfect smile ever, her eyes are the most perfect tint of blue..

Thing is.. this is our last year in school together.. I'm handing in my military papers in less then 2 weeks, hoping to get a career somewhere in the forces, and she's going off to College / University. I'm running out of time.

She's surrounded by her friends (Who are way more popular then I am.) and shes ridiculously busy.

I wish we could just have one night where we leave our cellphones at home, and go out to dinner. I want to take her home, and just snuggle with her, and tell her how I've felt about her over these past few years and why I'm doing all this. I don't see a relationship coming out of this at all... that would be great if one did.. I just need to get this off my chest.

We're really good friends and we know that too. We could see it in each other.

Ps.. Grade 8,9, she moved to different schools and we barely spoke. Same goes for grade 11. She was in France  I was kind of surprised when she remembered my name, and how good of a conversation we had, and kept up after all that time.

EDIT:

I went off track and didn't really keep it short. Sorry.

Going With Your Gut

I fell in love with her the first time I saw her.  When she walked in the room it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I know that she was special.

Fast forward 2 years.  We're best friends and I have a girlfriend, since she said multiple times that it wouldn't work out.  I start noticing that she might have a crush on me.  I ask her about it, and it so happens my hunch was right.  I leave my then-girlfriend to be with her and I haven't doubted my decision even once.