Hello. Rosa here.

So here’s the thing…

After that last date, I think maybe I should just forget the whole dating thing. You know, put on a crazy hat, start gardening, collect a whole bunch of cats and just be okay with being on my own.

And the more I thought about it, the better it sounded. I could get a crazy hat. I could garden. I could collect cats. But then, I lived in a small apartment. The hat thing wouldn’t be a problem. The garden thing would have to be a few small potted plants and that probably wouldn’t take up a lot of time but I could still wear the hat. The cat thing would be hard because my building didn’t allow pets. I would have to move. 

I didn’t want to move so the cat thing was definitely out. That left the crazy hat and the gardening, but then if I couldn’t have all three things, it just wouldn’t be the same. In the end, I just decided to leave it open to fate.



And sometimes fate answers when you least expect it, a life-changing moment comes into your day. Mine came when I was playing squash by myself in the squash court of the apartment building where I lived. 

I’m very happily smashing the ball against the wall, when someone knocks at the door. 

Huh? Who could that be? A bit annoyed to have my game interrupted, I go and open the door. 

This tall, blond man is standing there with a squash racquet in hand. “Hi, I’m Daniel. Mind if I join you?” 

‘Big deal.’ I think. For some reason, this guy doesn’t impress me.

As I found out later, on his way to the laundry room, he had looked through the upper windows of the squash courts. Seeing that I was on my own, and in his mind thinking ‘Not bad. Has potential.’ he had run back to his apartment and grabbed his racquet.

Now he’s standing there smiling at me so even though I don’t want to play with him because something about him just puts me off, I shrug my shoulders and say, “Sure. Rosa.” First mistake, letting him into my life just to be polite. 

We start to play and he starts to tell me how to play. This is annoying. Now I’m understanding my gut instinct about him. Yet, I don’t want to seem rude, so I just say, “uh huh.” And kept playing the way I want to play. HAVE TO BE POLITE! Remember, it’s drilled into us from the time we’re born. BE POLITE.  BE NICE TO PEOPLE. There should also be a disclaimer… UNLESS THE F&^%$ IS REALLY ANNOYING YOU.

Finally our game ends, a moment for which I am really thankful.  Daniel tells me his apartment number and says to let him know if I ever want to play again.

And you know, I don’t.  I really don’t. In fact, after thirty minutes of being told what to do, I have no intention of ever asking him or even of ever talking to him again.

But, fate must have been bored one day or at least wanted to play a really mean joke. 

A couple of weeks later, I enter the elevator and there he is. He asks if I want to play a game. Again, a slow day. “Sure.” Second mistake.

Afterwards, he invites me to his apartment. Having nothing better to do I say, “Sure.” Third mistake. 

And so it began…