The X-files - episode 1

well the moment has arrived. The moment when I realize that my dating history has become such a farce that It just wouldn't be fair not to share some of my stories with the public.

I had a few "dating" experiences in Sweden before I moved to the states but the formal dating in the U.S. is far different from the way Europeans go about the whole thing. For all intents and purposes, I will try my best to tell these episodes in chronological order, beginning with the times leading up to my departure.

This story takes place in a time where the internet was a new and exciting thing. It was mostly used by the military, people doing research and meeting people on the website Blackplanet.  I was not in the military, nor was I old enough to do research so I used my time the best I knew how: booking Greyhound tickets and chatting with random Black Americans online. I guess you could say I was conducting a bit of research - How to infiltrate the black community!
Now, I know now that meeting people online is different from meeting a person in real life. You can be anyone online and back then, nobody bothered to fact check.
I started talking with a  few different people and one in particular. I forget his name, lets call him Steve. You would think that I would remember him, things were pretty intense for a while there. We talked on the phone a few times, we even planned a meet up once I was in the States. He lived in Maryland and I was going to arrive in NYC. My plan, though somewhat lofty, involved hanging out in NYC with my good friend J for a few days, meet up with random black planet guy, then catch a greyhound bus to CO where my friend M lived. after that I was to at some point meet up with relatives on my mother's side who live in the Midwest.

But I digress. My New York stay was coming to an end and I had not been able to get a hold of the guy to arrange a meeting.He was not answering my phone calls and I did not have a cell phone. My friends I believe were a bit relieved but it was with a heavy heart that I made my way to Port Authority and got on the bus to CO. It was not long until I had completely forgot about the guy, I was too busy staying alive on the 2 day long ride to the Rocky Mountains.

PSA Announcement: Don't ride the Greyhound unless you really, really have to.

I had to. I had $2000 and no solid plan. cheap travel was a necessity.
Fast forward a few months. By now I am with my Midwestern family. If I remember correctly, I received a phone call, it could also have been an e-mail... It was from the boy's parents. They had somehow figured out my number/e-mail, I am guessing my mom had picked up and gave them the number to where i was in the States.... To this day I am a bit fuzzy on how they found me....Remember this is 11 or so years ago now and I have tried my best to forget the whole incident.

His parents were calling me to see if  I knew where their son was. Apparently I had been talking to a person who had a lobotomy after a car accident a few years earlier. The procedure had obviously affected/impaired his judgement which was part of the reason he was still living at home! He was now missing...
That's right, yours truly was infatuated with a man who had part of his brain removed and was now on the run. I was, to say the least, in a bit of a shock and disbelief after hearing this information.Seconds later, I  decided that disbelief was an illegitimate feeling in this situation. If someone tracks you down to inform you that their son has part of his brain missing and is in fact himself missing - believe them! I can see no reason as to why a perfect stranger would make something like that up.

Needless to say, I did not date online for a while after that.....


Stay tuned for the next episode of the X-files.