"So, what happened after the first month? Did the honeymoon end?" Lindy caustically asked her friend.

"Lindy, stop being so condescending!" Sadie chastised. "You’re acting as if you’ve never made a mistake."

"Sadie, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but I must say, in the past few months, you win the prize! I’m sorry if I am being derisive. I guess in some ways, I am actually a bit jealous of your spirit and freedom to explore options so openly with men. I never would have allowed myself to go to Florida and be swept up by such romance. But that does not mean that it is either right or wrong. Go ahead, Sadie, finish the story."

"Thanks, Lindy. Thanks for being so YOU. I love your honesty and always have respected you for that. That’s why you are one of my dearest friends. No matter what has gone down in my life, you have stood by me AND let me know very clearly what you thought of the situation. I have never had to guess where you stood. That is priceless.

So, after a month of being blissfully happy with Karl, things started to change. I am not sure if it was him or me, yet we weren’t connecting as fluidly as before. As a matter of fact, he was beginning to annoy the heck out of me. I could not breathe without his catching the exhale. Seriously, Lindy, I started to wonder when he’d give me a minute to my own thoughts. We did EVERYTHING together, and it began to wear on me.

I tried telling him I needed some space and he just laughed. Can you imagine, laughing at that? Of course, that made me madder than a lioness whose cubs were taken away. The more I explained that I felt suffocated, the less time alone he gave me. He was supposed to be traveling back and forth between Florida and Chicago, and yet for five straight weeks, he stayed put. He never went back to Chicago!

Of course a part of me was in my glory with beaches, sun, and ocean to enjoy. In the first few weeks, I did not have a care in the world except to enjoy the respite from winter and sadness of miserable dates and another failed relationship. Then, reality began to creep its ugly head into the mix. I began to notice things I did not like. I started to resent having no time to myself. I was even getting tired of eating out and indulging in too much alcohol – Close your mouth, Lindy. That is not funny. Yes, I did just say that, and I meant it at the time."

"I did not say a word, Sadie," smirked Lindy.

"You did not have to say anything. Your look said it all!" Sadie remarked back.

"After five weeks in Florida, I exploded at Karl and told him I was going home. He begged me to stay and promised to give me space. So for the last week, it was better. He cooked a couple of meals for me, even inviting the neighbors one night. That’s when I knew it was over. One of the neighbors was a buxom blonde of questionable age who was very free with her physical attention if you know what I mean. Two things happened. Karl welcomed her attention, even giving it back, and I did not care. I packed my bags two nights later and headed home. Karl did not try to stop me.

I was far more devastated than I realized. I felt so defeated and disappointed that Karl fell for someone else so easily right in front of me, especially when I thought he wanted me to stay. I felt so worthless and discarded. When I got home I just fell apart."

"Oh Sadie," crooned Lindy. I am so sorry, honey, I guess even a toughie like you has a breaking point. I am so glad you came out of your darkness and met me for lunch today. What are you going to do now?"

Just as Sadie was about to answer, a very handsome man walked past her table and smiled her way. Sadie smiled back.

Sadie Jackson, a fictional heroine, is back on the dating scene for the third time. After two trial marriages, she is bound and determined to get it right. She can be nauseatingly optimistic and enjoys recounting her dating experiences with humor and compassion. Follow her dating escapades in this work of fiction that will be updated on a regular basis.