Almost anyone with an extensive
dating history has a story about "the one" that got away. Sometimes there's more than one, but we're sticking to
cliche here.
Usually this statement is applied to a romantic interest that seemed 100% compatible but a stupid decision or some controllable aspect of the individual's
lifestyle (most often something
career related) halted the blossoming
relationship.
For me it was a young Co-ed at the
Frankfurt International
University. We met at a
dance club and hit it off really well. We talked on the phone and had some great conversations, we unsuccessfully tried to see each other again. I was in the military at the time and at the beck and call of my
superiors. It was pretty
obvious that we wanted to be with each other but circumstances
forbid it. I had to fly to
England for a couple months, her
ex-boyfriend was coming into town, we tried, we checked our
schedule and for four months neither of us had the time to see each other (I realized this when the statement "How's your
February look?" came up.). We decided it was better for both of us just not to start.
I still wonder what my life would have been like if the situation had been slightly different. I still remember our conversations on the
phone with her, we spoke of
literature and life, and we laughed a lot. Now I'm near-
engaged, happy with a good job, a nice place to live and a remarkable
woman who loves me and whom I love in return, but there will always be "the one that got away".