..Interesting… .

Hi ‘traceybyfire’; some years ago I too was ‘involved’ with a young person/(lady). We criss-crossed our poetry and prose on a SocialMedia site. I was already out of college a number of years and working on Wall Street. Both she and I reside in NYC. Coincidently Central Park separated us. Her folks’ UES-HighRise almost directly across from my UWS-Brownstone. I am an upper middle class guy/her dad (she admits) is filthy rich. I zig-zagged n’ and dashed; even thrashed-about a bit trying to keep her as (only)-a-friend. I even stopped responding to her eMails and texts a few times. She’d disappear off my radar for a while, then begin our exchanges again. She even sent me PICs of herself & friends.

I really enjoyed her writing and she responded to mine. Keeping me apprised occasionally as to what she was up to; (I was all the while quite surprised at her continued interest). She even asked, a few times if we could ‘get-involved’. (I wondered about strange if open urgency or fascination.) I just enjoyed her OnLine ‘company’ and felt surely that a real ‘coming-together’ would end up impractical at least. All this was taking place prior to the in-famous “Catfish” show on TV. Since I am a pack-rat I am sure I still have copies of our exchanges — in some form.

I never lied; I was always only just-a-(shy) ’writer’ who enjoyed her long stories. She never lied, but only showed a kind of wondrous intrigue. I wanted to continue our relationship, but keep it “friendly”. She learned a lot about me over time — my dog, we even exchanged puppy-pics. I did not sent a photo of myself, and did ask for one of her. Ethnicity was never once mentioned between us; [I am Black she is White]; there was not even a hint at knowing… . Did she feel that she knew all along?

Twice recently this young lady made contact with me. The first time was about 3-years ago. She somehow zeroed-in on my f.b. page, and asked again that we (finally) should get-together. Though she was successful in finding my f.b. Home page, [I did not respond nor acknowledge the person is me.] My name is (referenced) on f.b. in some shortened-coded manner. Though she does know my real name. (These days there are many Sites/Programs which can produce a lot of information on any person from the minimum.)

I have never yet admitted a connection to that “f.b.” page. (Shortly afterward I saw her name on a casual friend of a “Friend’s” Home page.) I allowed some time to pass before asking the guy — OnLine, if he knows who she is. He claims to know nothing at all about her. Hummmm, ‘Interesting’. There are so many similar names on f.b. I suppose my *clipped-common name can have been just anybody. But then just about 10-days ago she contacted me again on f.b. Mentioning me and my dog…we always enjoyed exchanging INFOrmation about our dogs. Really good-memory-notes… .

Once in a while I ask myself if this lady can actually know maybe everything about me, and still want to meet?! At other times it seems one-half of a faux-‘relationship’ should just be allowed to quietly fall-away. Recently I cross-checked her name again feeling confident I found out a lot about her. Even a recent photograph of her is gorgeous! I like keeping those writer-exchange years as ‘Good Memories’. :~ ]

(I will admit that when “Catfish” the TV-show debuted I rather ‘feared’ I’d turn the corner toward my brownstone one day and find her sitting on my well-scrubbed stoop’…whoa.

— Oops, I did not intend to go-on so long. I suppose your Medium-‘confession’ found me needing to expose my long, unexposed Non-Relationship as well. (Though I do not expect my lite-Write-Thing was actually “catfish’n”.) :~ ]