When Match.com first started (1995 I believe) it was soon followed by FriendFinder. And that is where I had my best online dating experience. It was new and exciting. I was actually able to find quite a lot of people either near me or within a short driving distance. It was part of my daily routine to check for my messages after work and to chat with the many friends I had made on the site.
I must’ve gone on 10 ‘first dates’ at least. Most didn’t result in a second date (although I remained friends with most of them). However, one girl absolutely blew me away. Katya was fairly quiet & a bit shy, but after a few weeks and several dates we really started to hit it off and she was definitely becoming more confident. I think that’s part of the reason we got on so well. We both had that lack of confidence at the time.
So, whilst this was my best online dating experience, it was in reality one of my best life experiences, as Katya and I continued to see each other for 4 glorious years. We moved in together after 10 months and we eventually had a child together.
Sadly, circumstances lead to us having to separate. Katya had a job offer on the East Coast that she couldn’t refuse (and I absolutely wouldn’t have stood in her way) which was to change her life completely. I was faced with the choice of giving up my business or relocating and starting over again. It was a difficult decision, but we eventually decided that we could try to live “together apart” – which we eventually discovered was impossible. We did meet up frequently so our boy would spend time with each of us, and both our parents were very helpful and supportive.
Eventually, Katya did meet somebody else, and oddly enough I was kinda happy for her. I moved on.
