It's almost 7 months since Arlene died. She used to tell me: "Go out and find a younger woman" but I would never do that to her, I was never even tempted. For the last 10 years of our 25 year marriage we were not intimate physically. Every time we made love, she got a little crazy. Sometimes I ended up in jail. It wasn't worth it. I never had an affair. We agreed that flings are not a reason to end a primary relationship, but loyalty was one of the many things that kept us together, part of our shared values.

I just finished a 6 week contract as a Drupal web application consultant. It was an open office plan, and I noticed a very pretty young woman who sat on the other side of the row, directly across from me. She was friendly. I sat in the last row near the kitchen area, where employees would chat during breaks. I heard Dale talk, and I was impressed by her intelligence, and her plain unassuming niceness. Sometimes she seemed to linger near my desk, I would turn around and say "Hi."

Then one day I came to work, and she was gone, they were removing her monitor. I was heartbroken, and I thought about asking someone where I could find her, but I was busy so I didn't follow through. Then 2 weeks later she was back in the office, across the floor at another desk!

I knew if I left the job without getting to know her, I would regret it. On my last day (yesterday) I got up the nerve to ask her out to lunch, and she quickly said "Yes!" The night before I looked her up on LinkedIn, and I was stunned to find out she studied Anthropology, like me. I also checked her Facebook, to see if she announced she was in a relationship, and no she wasn't! She did not have a lot of posts, but they were quirky/geeky, I liked that. She even quoted: "and the Jay-Z song was on" a lyric from a Miley Cyrus song I like about how hearing a favorite song can help make you more confident in a new and challenging situation... I also found out she was born in 1994, which makes her 5 years younger than my daughter (!) but anyway, I decided to ask her out so I would not have regrets.

We had a nice lunch. It was easy for us to talk. She is sooo beautiful, and smart, and funny... I told her I would like to see her again, and she asked me when I would be in NYC again, since I'm not working until I find something else (which usually takes only a couple of weeks). I told her I would be in town Wednesday for an interview, so she said, "Then let's get together Wednesday!"

I had considered asking her out again today. But it's Valentines Day, that's pretty charged, and I did not want to scare her, be too intense. Also I have a deadline on Sunday to submit some chapters for a book I'm writing, the publisher said get the overdue chapters in or my contract will be canceled. I sent Dale a Happy Valentines Day text, and told her the FB friend request I sent from Decibel Places was from me, I explained that is my "web" nickname, it was the name of a punk zine I wrote about the scene in Providence while I was in college.

Yesterday I wrote a short post on FB (for friends only) about how I had lunch with an angel, and it made me happy. I hoped Dale would see it. My friend's wife liked it, and my daughter commented "!!"

I haven't dated for 30 years. I feel like I am a teenager in love (maybe). Although Dale is so much younger than me, she is mature for her age... and I am a little immature, sometimes, for my age. Maybe it could work.

Even if romance does not work out, it's nice to make friends with a smart funny interesting person, who has a lot in common with me. We're both a little like awkward geeks. I'm trying to not over-think things, just be myself, who else would I be if I wanted someone to like me?

My wife used to tell me I probably have mild autism, Aspergers or something like that. I often don't pick up social cues, or know how to respond. It took a lot of courage to ask Dale out to lunch, and her quick yes was encouraging. At least I do not have to regret that I didn't try.

My daughter told me at Christmas that I would know when I was ready to start a new relationship. I am surprised that I can have feelings for someone. But I guess some higher power put me in a situation to meet someone whom I could be interested in.