In 2001, I “met” a wonderful man.  I say “met” because we found each other online in a chat room.  It was a voice chat and as soon as he spoke I sent a private message to a friend asking her if she knew who he was because his voice was working for me.  We quickly connected and talked often online.  He was in MI and I was in NJ.  After months of talking online and running up phone bills over $600 a month, we were in love and crazy about each other but had still not met in person.  I couldn’t move because I had 2 young boys from a previous relationship so after about 6 months he decided to move to NJ. 

I loaded my boys in my car and drove 12 hours so that we could meet and he would come home with me.  When we met we shared a hug but we didn’t kiss.  When we did kiss that first kiss was sweet and tender and full of love.  He came home with us and filled a void that I didn’t even know was missing.  He was a wonderful man and became my best friend and partner in everything.  We were happy and in love.  We had been living together for about 18 months and no one believed that we hadn’t been together for years.  We were just such a tight couple and the love and affection were apparent to complete strangers. 

Then he got sick, really really sick.  After almost a month in the hospital I got a call that the end was near.  I was told he had a week so I spent as much time with him as I could.  The day after I was told that he had a week he was barely lucid.  He whispered that he loved me and fell asleep.  The nurse was in there so I ran outside to have a cigarette.  I came back and the nurse told me that he stopped breathing as I walked out of the room.  She thought he didn’t want to leave while I was there.  I was devastated.  7 years later and I’m still devastated over the loss of him.  He was my best friend and partner and I loved him and he loved me.  Now that I’ve known real love I am not willing to settle for less than what I had with him and I have begun to doubt that it will happen again for me, but I’m still hopeful.