Love and other catastrophes - Part 4
Or, How to transition from friendship to... something else.
As I watched my relationship with Miss Pond transition to a friendship, I was approached by a friend who I'd known for almost as long as I'd known Mrs Boysenberry. Let's call her Miss Cider.
Like most things in my "love life", it's more complicated than may appear to the average outsider. Miss Cider has known Mrs Boysenberry since they were pre-teens. We've always gotten on well, although it was never a particularly close friendship. It became more of an acquaintance thing when she moved interstate with her family for university. Her return to Canberra a few years later, with husband in tow, resulted in some social meetings, mostly through various church groups that Mrs Boysenberry and Miss Cider were members of.
You may have picked up on the fact that I refer to Miss Cider as having a husband. Like so many things in life, it wasn't to be. My interactions with her former were limited to say the least, so I will cast no judgement on him. Needless to say, they divorced several years ago, and since then, she has been mostly single.
Another complication is that her most recent partner is also one of my clients. Not a bad bloke, as we males go, but nonetheless she was seen as a "gap filler" by him while he looked for something better. She knew this, and accepted it to an extent.
Recently, following a less than fantastic trip to see Miss Pond, I returned very early to Canberra. Miss Cider had contacted me previously to see if I was interested in going to the Murrumbateman Field Day, as a way of getting out of the house. I graciously accepted her invitation, and we spent a couple of hours walking around a few dusty paddocks. Knowing how tired I was, and also that I had a function that I needed to shop for, she drove me around a bit afterwards. While driving, she let me know that her mother had "warned" her about me. She wouldn't say in what way, or why.
We'd talked a bit leading up to the breakdown of my marriage, mostly me gauging what it had been like for her. We had similar tastes in literature and movies, mostly geared towards sci-fi and fantasy. I'm not sure when it started after I left Mrs Boysenberry, but we began to flirt a little. Over the last month or so, the flirting had gotten more overt, and in the last week, far more sexual. She also let me know that she'd been attracted to me for a few years, but couldn't act while I was married.
On Sunday, we went to the movies (for those playing at home, the movie was "Thor: The Dark World"), and decided to go for a drive and get an ice cream afterwards. Mount Ainslie became the venue, and we started talking about what was happening between us, and where we were heading. I told her that I didn't think I was ready or prepared for anything too serious at this stage, given some of my recent experiences. She said she was happy to have a less formal friendship/relationship, as she was happy to remain "relatively single".
So, what does this mean? I really don't know at this stage.
Do I love Miss Cider? No, not like that, which probably sounds horrible.
Does she know that? Yes, I've made that absolutely clear.
Do I care for her? Absolutely.
Do I enjoy her company? Absolutely.
Do I see it going anywhere? No fucking idea.
As I watched my relationship with Miss Pond transition to a friendship, I was approached by a friend who I'd known for almost as long as I'd known Mrs Boysenberry. Let's call her Miss Cider.
Like most things in my "love life", it's more complicated than may appear to the average outsider. Miss Cider has known Mrs Boysenberry since they were pre-teens. We've always gotten on well, although it was never a particularly close friendship. It became more of an acquaintance thing when she moved interstate with her family for university. Her return to Canberra a few years later, with husband in tow, resulted in some social meetings, mostly through various church groups that Mrs Boysenberry and Miss Cider were members of.
You may have picked up on the fact that I refer to Miss Cider as having a husband. Like so many things in life, it wasn't to be. My interactions with her former were limited to say the least, so I will cast no judgement on him. Needless to say, they divorced several years ago, and since then, she has been mostly single.
Another complication is that her most recent partner is also one of my clients. Not a bad bloke, as we males go, but nonetheless she was seen as a "gap filler" by him while he looked for something better. She knew this, and accepted it to an extent.
Recently, following a less than fantastic trip to see Miss Pond, I returned very early to Canberra. Miss Cider had contacted me previously to see if I was interested in going to the Murrumbateman Field Day, as a way of getting out of the house. I graciously accepted her invitation, and we spent a couple of hours walking around a few dusty paddocks. Knowing how tired I was, and also that I had a function that I needed to shop for, she drove me around a bit afterwards. While driving, she let me know that her mother had "warned" her about me. She wouldn't say in what way, or why.
We'd talked a bit leading up to the breakdown of my marriage, mostly me gauging what it had been like for her. We had similar tastes in literature and movies, mostly geared towards sci-fi and fantasy. I'm not sure when it started after I left Mrs Boysenberry, but we began to flirt a little. Over the last month or so, the flirting had gotten more overt, and in the last week, far more sexual. She also let me know that she'd been attracted to me for a few years, but couldn't act while I was married.
On Sunday, we went to the movies (for those playing at home, the movie was "Thor: The Dark World"), and decided to go for a drive and get an ice cream afterwards. Mount Ainslie became the venue, and we started talking about what was happening between us, and where we were heading. I told her that I didn't think I was ready or prepared for anything too serious at this stage, given some of my recent experiences. She said she was happy to have a less formal friendship/relationship, as she was happy to remain "relatively single".
So, what does this mean? I really don't know at this stage.
Do I love Miss Cider? No, not like that, which probably sounds horrible.
Does she know that? Yes, I've made that absolutely clear.
Do I care for her? Absolutely.
Do I enjoy her company? Absolutely.
Do I see it going anywhere? No fucking idea.

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