July 10, seven days after my last entry, I received a text message from an old friend. It read "Just checking on you. Hope all is well. I promise to visit soon. Have a wonderful day. Max" My response was "I'm sorry to ask... Max who?" At the time I had been talking to hundreds of people online and in person. I didn't recall a Max, but I could't remember. I was at my college reunion when the text came in. I said to my friend Emily, "I'm not sure who this is, but if it is who I think it is, this should be good!" He replied, Maxwell Nkansah, I know it's been a while and hope you will not say that you forgot who I am lol" I was so excited to hear from one of my favorite people in the world! My fingers moved quickly as I texted back "I thought so!!! I call you Maxwell... So it threw me off :) How are you? I'm not on campus this summer but would love to catch up. Let me know what you think." At this point, I wasn't sure of his relationship situation and he was unsure about mine. Flash back one year. I was teaching and Maxwell showed up at my office to walk me to class. I was always excited to see him because I really enjoyed talking to him and we had maintained a friendship of sorts throughout the years. That summer, He hinted that there were troubles at home. Secretly, I was excited to hear this because I knew he had not been treated well for as long as I had known him. I used that time to tell him that I had ended my six year relationship and was now dating. Here is where things got lost in translation. I said I was online dating and explained the joys and sorrows of that process. He took that to mean that I was DATING! I guess in Ghana, when someone says they are dating, that means, well, they are dating one person. I meant, I was going on lots of dates with lots of people - nothing serious. This clarification was not made until a year after the conversation took place. So, after, I suggested we catch up, he responded, "That will be good. I am flexible, let me know when it's convenient for you." I suggested coffee or lunch. My first suggestion was to meet the following Thursday (we connected on a Saturday). By the end of the conversation, I was suggesting that we meet the next day, Sunday. I was excited to see him and curious to know if he was available and if he was interested. When he informed me that he lived on his own, I was giddy with glee. My butterflies started to awaken. The conversation ended with him saying, "I really look forward to seeing you." and I admitted, "I am really looking forward to seeing you as well maxwell! Goodnight."
The next day we texted a bit and both looked forward to meeting for lunch the following morning. I was hopeful, after reading his texts and talking with him for a bit, that he was interested in more than rekindling a friendship. I wore a jean mini skirt and an off -the-shoulder top -revealing my tattoo. I checked with Penny and she assured me that it was the perfect outfit for a first date. I arrived at Ichiban Sushi restaurant a little early and texted to inform him I was inside. I was so excited to see him, one of my favorite people in the world. I have always had such respect for Maxwell. He was always kind, considerate,and helpful to me. He was private, so I never knew much about his personal life, but what I saw of the man, I admired. The host seated me in one of those rooms with a booth on both sides, a curtain hanging to add mystery. When he walked in, I literally leaped from my seat and moved to meet him with a hug. When we hugged, the electricity pulsed between us. I knew then and there that something beyond friendship was an acute possibility. We sat, ate, and talked. I really don't remember much of our discussion. It was mostly small talk, I guess. I remember he kept sitting on his hands and commenting on how he never sits on his hands. I was metering the energy and trying to read if he was reading me. We met at 11:30. At 3:30, the manager informed us that they had closed at 3:00. Right before the manager's interruption, we had begun a deep discussion about the status of our relationships. I informed him that I was single, totally single, not seeing anyone and no one was seeing me. He shared his situation and my heart skipped a beat. My first thought was, "If this man is single, I am going to let him know how I feel. He is a man who enjoys relationships and likes to be married. If I let this go, someone else will end up with this magnificent man." Due to my discussions with him in the past and things I've learned from other international students, I knew that he would never make the first move due to the role of authority I once played in his life. So, I mustered up the courage and blurted out "I have always admired you and I would be honored to date you if that was something you were interested in." He stammered a tentative, "REALLY? WOW... WELL, OK... really, hmm..." And then enter the manager. DAMN, bad timing man! He payed for lunch and we proceeded to our cars. I suggested we go to a park and walk around for a bit. He knew of one in walking distance. So we walked, and talked, and laughed, and grinned. We discovered so many similarities from both living in the same apartment complex to attending the same schools a few years apart. Our spirits were in sync. We were open and honest. I asked questions about his home and traditions. His voice was like melted milk chocolate. We settled down on a bench and watched the wild life for a while. Sometimes we chatted, other times were silent. We watched the geese, the swans, and the fish were jumping. We listened to the crickets and laughed at the chipmunks. We greeted the joggers and walkers. And we sat, together, letting our energies exchange and create a beautiful warm feeling of love. When the mosquitoes came out for dinner, we knew it was time to end this magical date. We walked, hand in hand, to the parking lot, hugged goodnight, and proceeded to drive our separate ways. The time was 10:30pm. The date lasted for eleven hours! It was the beginning of a beautiful thing indeed.
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