Aussie Pimoti*

"Surely you know better than that? I mean you did see right through that...?!"

The Nurse turns to me incredulous, almost steers the Mazda into the protesters at Eagleridge Bluffs.

"Didn't you?"

Sheepishly I take a sip of coffee, look back over the bluffs.

"Yeah... but..." I try to protest.

Nurse looks at me in disbelief.

I'm supposed to be on an internet ban, supposed to be staying away from email but as it turns out a piece I wrote an introduction for some months before was being published on Saturday, and I just had to check.

What I got, instead of the pdf file for my cuttings, was the Brush Off. And in the form of A Brush Off Email. ABOE. From the Aussie Pimoti.

It reads a little like this...
"I had a lovely time last night... you are a very cool girl..."

And before I even finish the first sentence, I know there's a big old but coming up to bite me on mine.

Wham!

There it is...

Granted, he had been honest. Over Grey Goose and far too many glasses of liquid courage, he had confessed the following:

1) I was his first ever blind date.
2) He was recently divorced.
3) His wife had left him for another man.

Now, it's not all that bad. The man was not a quivering wreck. In truth, he was charming. And funny. And smart. And he had built me a cake. A little blueberry concoction with a liquorice straw which had been the source of countless email witticisms and hours of instant messaging. I am an internet junkie.

And we didn't stop talking over drinks at Granville Island, in the Aquabus over to English Bay. Sat on the beach and traded banter, teased each other mercilessly.

And then in a rash moment, I decided to go back with a take out and a bottle of wine. And he sat behind me on his green couch, with his hand on my neck telling tales. Held my face and kissed me, made promises and plans and I swear those butterflies took flight.

"I'm sorry if I appeared a little strange this morning..." ABOE continues. "It just hit home there are a few more issues I need to work out..."

He had gently warned me, that morning with his arms wrapped around me, of this. Had walked me home and kissed me, had asked me to keep it cool. And I lay my cards down, I'm also in a transitional phase, let's take this one day at a time.

And so ABOE. From the Aussie Pimoti.

Nurse looks at me knowingly, I have been here before. Worn my battered heart on a sleeve, been too trusting, too open from the get go, rushed in without armour. Had done that whole getting to know him through emails and phone calls, through witty first date banter and found something I wasn't really ready for.

Everything is of benefit, everything is a lesson** and so this one has to be learned again.

We all need a little armour in battle, but not so much as we all need a little armour when it comes to affairs of the heart.


***************************************

*PIMOTI - Person (or people) I've met on the Internet, cheekily pulled from Leonie and Miss Devylish but I have a sneaking suspicion I may have heard it before from someone else...

**Okay. Yes. I know. I bloody well know. I should just chuck this whole internet dating thing in the trash. I should just give up now. Become celibate. But celibacy also makes me a bit on the crazy side.