Lively Lime #11

"Angie, you have to help me find a good man. I need a real relationship. I'm not getting any younger….this is getting serious."

Angie watched her friend Madeleine stir her coffee nervously. The two women in their mid-30s were sitting at a sidewalk café on their lunchbreak. They were both lawyers. They both were single. They were both lonely. It was tough finding someone these days. Male lawyers were too overbearing or absent. Males who weren't lawyers usually found them threatening. But these females weren't about to hang up their pantsuits for aprons yet. They just wanted to be happy with someone. The search for a good companion had gone on for years, though, and Madeleine was tired of it.

"It can't be that bad. How have your past few boyfriends been?"

"Terrible. I’ve went through three in just the past 6 months. And they keep getting worse. Nothing serious ever happens. I date them a few times and think they're great at first, but then they turn out to be full of issues that I just can't deal with."

"Such as?"

"Well, you remember Peter? That bad boy stockbroker? Well, he had good job security and a knack for numbers…..seemed like he had so much confidence! But little by little, I felt like his out-there attitude, cool style and bold moves were all a big mask. He just wanted to date me because I was a lawyer…you know, be that flashy money-making power couple. The guy has such self-esteem problems. He's always overcompensating for everything and trying too hard to be super-successful. The slightest criticism and it looks like someone just stuck a knife through him. He never really cared about me. He just cared about my money and my status."

"I wonder what kind of kind of upbringing he had to make him turn out that way…you ever meet his family?"

"Hmmm…no, I never met them. No, wait! Yes, I met his sister once. Oh, she was so nice! Such a great person. Very pretty, with good manners. She's a pediatrician. Peter's fraternal twin, but she carries herself completely differently. Nothing like him..."

”Well, too bad you can’t date her, haha. Well, how about…uh, what's his name? Trevor?"

"Travis. Yea, that one was a total winner. I wanted a break from the bad boy type, and you know, try a nice calm guy for a change. But he turned out to be a total stuck up religious nut. Nice at first, very polite, but when you start talking to him, he starts going on and on about Jesus this and the Lord that, and how this person will be punished by God for doing that and blah blah blah. He wanted to take me out to Mass on a date, and kept trying to convert me. You know, save my soul and all. And if we weren't talking about religion he was talking about how much he loves to watch Animal Planet and PBS. I mean, I'm fairly religious and I'm respectful of faiths, but he was just constantly breathing down my neck about it."

“Oh yuck…that’s kind of creepy, actually. I assume you two broke up?”

“Yea, pretty quickly, actually. One day, after I quickly ditched Travis after Bible study, I ran into John. He was on the track team in college, remember? Hadn’t seen him in years, and he seemed kind of down, so we started talking. We actually got along really well at first. Dating him was fun. We went to see French films, and went to fancy French restaurants. It was pretty romantic, and he was so sophisticated! He talked about traveling to France and how much he loved my name because it was French. But pretty soon I felt like I was just replacing someone else in his heart. I wasn’t the girl for him. And I wondered how much French he really knew. I couldn’t live a lie like that, so we split up....

You see? All these relationships always fall apart. I set myself up for something wonderful, and then just get the rug pulled out from under me. I have the worst luck. There’s no guy out there for me, Angie. I’m destined to be alone.”

“Awww…hang in there, girl. I’m sure there’s someone out there for you. Hey, you’re not the only one looking. We gotta stay strong….don’t worry, I’m always here for you if you want to talk. We’ve made it together all the way through college and law school and butthead law firm partners. We’ll get through this.”

Angie gave Madeleine a hug as they parted ways. When Angie went home, she sat at her computer and visited her guilty pleasure, Postsecret.com. She had never posted a secret, and probably never would, but as she scrolled down and read the confessions of strangers, she stopped at one particular secret. One that hit home.

“My best friend keeps on dating jerks. If only she knew that I loved her."