My Adult Yarn

Kevin made his way around his small apartment, tidying up as he went. The aroma of his favourite homemade pasta sauce filled the air and he was feeling incredibly pleased with himself. He had been participating on several free online dating sites for the past six months but never had he reached the point of having a “real life” date. Tonight, all of that would change.

When he first took up free online dating, Kevin was frustrated by the lack of interest in his profiles. He had asked his friend, Jason, to take a look at them and make suggestions on what he could do to improve his odds of making a connection. “Well, for one thing, you chose a pretty lousy photo, man!” Jason had ventured. “What do you mean?” Kevin wondered. “Dude… come on. A picture of you and your ex-girlfriend on vacation doesn’t exactly scream “available,” does it?” “Oh… I guess you’re right,” Kevin had to admit, “I just used it because it was the most recent picture I had.” “Fine, use it – but at least cut HER out of it!” Jason added, with more than a hint of exasperation.

The “her” to whom Jason referred was Jackie. She was also not only the ex-girlfriend but also the reason Kevin had pursued free online dating in the first place. He had been completely in love with Jackie and he had also put his entire life on hold for her. Kevin had dreams of opening his own business but Jackie wanted to get her Psychology degree. The problem was she didn’t have enough money to complete her education and not enough available hours to work to earn the money. She was caught between a rock and hard place and had poured her heart out to Kevin. He had made the decision to postpone quitting his job to open his business and, instead, he gave a good portion of the money he had saved to Jackie. It was enough to fully pay for the remainder of her education. She had been so happy and excited. Until the week of her graduation when she had unceremoniously dumped Kevin for a guy in her program – apparently they were “soul mates.” Kevin knew he’d been well and completely used.

or a long time, Kevin stopped dating. He refused all attempts made by his friends to set him up on blind dates or to pair him off with their sisters, friends, relatives or coworkers. He truthfully couldn’t stand the thought of being with anyone. Time, however, is the great healer and, when he had finally felt ready to venture back into the dating world, he found that he didn’t know where to start. That’s when free online dating had filled the void. Miraculously, in rather short order, the void in his heart had been filled by Maria. She was amazing beyond all sense and reason. Kevin had fallen for her hard and, after a month of phone calls, he finally convinced her to let him cook her dinner. Tonight, for the first time, he would be able to physically hold her and tell her how much she meant to him. It was beyond exciting. He had never been so nervous – yet so incredibly happy – all at the same time. He laughed at the thought that, somehow, he had Jackie to thank.