Long distance encounters
I have been exchanging emails for about a month now with a very pretty and interesting lady I met online. The problem is that she lives about three hours from where I live. What’s more, she has kids and lives with her sister. It’s not that I mind kids or extended family but they do complicate things (you have to take a baby sitter into consideration when planning your dates).
As far as the sister, my potential date (let’s call her Ana) has to clear everything with her sister for everything she does. Furthermore, Ana’s sister was not too keen to the idea of Ana meeting men over the Internet. After reading about this, I gave up on the idea of meeting her. Ana sounded like she was a shut in.
Just last week I was surprised when Ana contacted me via IM and told me that she had met in person two guys that she was corresponding with. What!? Her sister actually allowed her to me someone in person?
She told me there was no chemistry with one but with the other there was some (he had driven 8 hours twice just to meet with her for lunch). After chatting a while, the question came up of why I had not visited her. Well, I would have if she had given me a chance. So we started talking about meeting.
It’s Friday and she wants to meet on Saturday (the next day) for lunch. The problem is that she lives three hours away by car and I have to be back home by 3pm for a family gathering (and I can’t miss it). I check the map and see that there is an airport that I am quite familiar with close to where she lives (she lives in the country). Since I am a pilot, I suggest we meet at the airport (it has a nice restaurant) – this is only a one hour flight each way for me. Flying there will allow me to be back in time for my family gathering.
Everything is going well until she realizes that she will have to drive 15 to 20 minutes from home. She wants me to come closer to where she lives but not to her home. At this point, I am thinking the other guys have spoiled her: I offer to drop what I am doing, spend a couple of hundred dollars to fly to her but she can’t drive 20 minutes from her home to meet at a convenient and public place?
Am I being unreasonable? Here’s what I am considering:
I don’t mind long distance relationships but traveling six hours to meet someone I met online seems kind of risky. I have had encounters before where the women I met in person were nothing like what they presented themselves as online.
Flying up there is expensive and I still have the risk of being disappointed by the person I meet. But, at least I will enjoy the flight and not have to worry about getting a speeding ticket in some small town (speed traps are common in that part of our state) and I can be back in time for my gathering.
The other part is that I am traveling somewhere far and in the middle of nowhere. I am going to meet someone I have never met in person and someone. Looking at Google Maps, I am expected to meet her in a desolate countryside. I suggested a public place that will be easy to find and safer for both of us but she is against this. Honestly, this makes me a little suspicious. Let’s face it, there are people online that are only there to take advantage of you. No matter if you are a woman or a man, you still need to be careful.
