Meeting the Boyfriend

Jo introduced me to her new boyfriend, Evan, last night...officially. She set up a drink thing at Washington Square Hotel and we sat and talked for hours about nothing--but we covered everything.

They have this easy way about them. In the time I have known her, I have not seen her so happy. I've never seen her so peaceful. That is a credit to Evan. I e-mailed her today to say that I was proud of her for coming this long way.

I've never managed to be happy and at peace in a romantic relationship. I've been happy and I've been peaceful but to achieve these possibly consecutive planes simultaneously is a feat that defies me.
Thus, I am single.

A bit of background on Jo. She tends not to let people in. She's fiercely independent at the cost of sacrificing the interdependence good relationships breed for the fear of developing an unhealthy co-dependence that rob your indepedence. She is also intense. By intense I mean passionate plus. That plus is a floating term, that ephemeral something that cannot be pinned to specific definitions and captured in the web of categorical meaning. As a writer, I think this intensity is what makes her good, keeps her strong and gives her the fire to create.

I can't say seeing them gave me hope. And I won't say they embody everything I want in a relationship, but I do think that they work. To each their own, I always say...but these two--well, I don't mind being their third wheel. And that is a credit to them.