why does this never happen to me// anyone, except in Meg Ryan movies

I came across this in my sometimes nightly cl overview (which, honestly, includes the missed connections, but also the pet section and me looking for mid-century furniture). Is it totally wrong that it kinda brought a small tear to my eye? I am a little weepy lately. And seriously what a BUMMER for this woman, but good for her, for writing this so many years on.

Troy, It's been almost 8 years - w4m - 31 (LaGuardia Marriott)

We both stayed at the LGA Marriott regularly on business, you on the 6th floor in the Executive Suites and me usually on the 2nd or 3rd. Our eyes would often lock as we passed each other in the lobby. Your over 6-foot, sexy, mocha brown frame was such a gorgeous sight to behold so early in the morning before I had to facilitate a testing session in one of the lower level conference rooms. I saw you in shorts one day and nearly died. My friend Juany, one of the customer service reps, gave me your name and told me that you were a frequent guest.

We almost connected on one visit. It was late and we were both in the hotel bar sitting directly across from one another but before we had the chance to conversate, some surfer dude spoiled the fun by trying to hit on me. I got really drunk off cherry daquiris while you watched amused as I tried to get rid of the guy. You followed me onto the elevator where we were finally alone. You asked me if I was calling it a night. Unable to trust myself in my inebriation I mumbled something seemingly intelligible in reply before scurrying off to my room. I really wanted to invite you to come with me. If my room had have been on a higher floor I might have.

You left early the next morning so I gave one of the bellhops my business card to pass on to you. You must have got it because the next day as I prepared to depart on the airport shuttle you motioned to me through the window. You mouthed a question, "when are you coming back?" I replied in two weeks and you smiled. That was the last time I saw you. I didn't make it back for almost 5 weeks and by the time I did you were gone.

I left that job four months later and haven't been back to NYC since. I've thought about you and what might have been though. I even wrote and sent in a crazy poem about you to my local radio station's "Crazy Reasons To Go To New York" contest and won plane tickets but I let them expire.

I'm wondering if you're still single and if there is still a chance...

Guys. This is Getting Silly.

Regular readers of the blog may remember Versatile Fun: The Saga of Jared and Ernest: A Gay Stalker Love Story,* as a somewhat terrifying, yet also amusing warning against the evils of messing with someone on the internet.

So it seems that Ernest's incessant posting on the Missed Connections board has turned into incessant emailing of "Jared," but with little real content. The content is what makes it fun to read, though...these emails are just sort of sad:

July 19

Jared,

Have a happy Madison Gay Pride week-end!**

:-)

Ernest

July 21

:-)

July 29

I miss your smiling face!

I'm a terrible person.

*This is what the title of this adventure would be if there were a cable network equivalent to Lifetime, but for aging gays instead of middle-aged women (and 20-somethings who watch it "ironically"but actually really liked Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story).

**Apparently this email was sent from 1907, when they spelled things "week-end," "to-morrow," and "base-ball."

A note on the photo on this post:

This is the first image that appears when you search "gay stalker" on flickr. Incidentally, my sister sent me a greeting card with this image once in which she pointed out that he looked like Hugh Jackman. Her roommates said "Jesus was gay?" and "Hot jeans."

photo courtesy of patricking