Like Two Dogs Meeting in the Park

       Lunch with a stranger is awkward at best, especially when you're sizing each other up with the dating agenda.  Boats took my coat to hang up, pulled my chair out for me to be seated and asked the waiter to bring some water. He got points for that.
      Throughout lunch we discovered we grew up 4 blocks from each other, went to the same church and he delivered my family's newspaper.  My brother's best friend grew up next door to him.  We spent childhood summers at the river (a Richmond tradition). Being older than I, our paths never crossed.  What a small world - so like RVA.
      After graduating with an engineering degree (I' ve never been able to talk to engineers or make sense of what they say) he began a business making gizmos for yachts.   I'd heard of the business last year from a church member who was moving to Europe to handle the company's Middle East business.
      He sold that business after decades of bounding success, retired and started two more businesses which he gave to key employees.  (Dang!  How generous. I'm impressed.) He told me about his suburban house, winter home in Florida (he hates cold weather) and his future plans. 
      His wife died suddenly in April (they just married the previous December) and now he's single again. He likes being married.  I felt a catch in my stomach when I heard that.  A rule of mine was at least 2 years being divorced or widowed and here I was with a guy whose wife passed away 6 months ago! Yikes! 
      He had gobs of fun toys - motorcycles, antique cars, and boats (How does he have time to play with all of that?) He said his world was built for two and he was one looking for his two.   More points for having a clear goal.  
      "Do you like to garden?" he asked.  "Well, I have a little piece of dirt I dig in." I answered.  He has extensive gardens his next-to-last late wife planted and admits he barely knows one plant from another. 
      We played "Do you know.." and shared stories of match dates. His humor was delightful as he described the match gals and his adventures checking them out.  They sounded too familiar.  It's affirming to know the guys get a similar menu as the girls.   
      I thought "OK. You've done your career. I just wrote Smart Women Make Their Own Rules; the Professional Woman's Guide to Igniting your Power, got a new coaching client and have a keen focus for my future.  You're kicking back and I'm rolling. I don't see much future here."  
      Three hours later Boats walked me to my car. For some reason I kissed him on the cheek. What was that about? I wondered.   He waved as I drove by going to have dinner with Kathleen and tell her about another match date gone south.
      Daily Boats called and emailed me.  Checking caller ID I didn't answer his calls and returned emails 24 hours later.  He was relentless.   Guess he didn't have the same experience as I.