the boys of my youth

So, I think I should have started out this blog with this entry, because I think that it will explain a bit where I'm coming from. However, I have this problem with telling super-long stories--my friends tease me about it all the time. So, I'm limiting each past relationship to 5 sentences or less. This will be tough, but its for the best. This blog is all about moving on, right? Throughout this entire blog, some names may be changed to protect the innocent & the guilty.

Ok, here goes.

1. clay - 08/03-06/04 - "the amorous big brother"
Clay was my first serious relationship and the first guy I ever kissed. He looked out for me, and treated me like a little sister, which in retrospect makes me feel sort of icky & incestuous. We met through mutual friends at school, although he was the older grad student when I was a senior in college. I liked him a lot, but he had other ideas. He's now married.

2. malik - 06/05-07/05 & 07/06-11/06 & random flings - "the african lover"
Malik definitely kicked off my secret fetish for african boys. We had a very passionate relationship--passionate fights--passionate lovin', basically a constant roller coaster ride. We broke up when he moved to California for grad school, but we've seen each other here and there when he's been in town. He's currently in a long-term, not-so-committed relationship. He called me a few nights ago to tell me that he's moving back to Houston this winter...probably without the girlfriend.

3. Mo - 12/07 - 05/08 - "the green card"
Mo was from Mali, a guy I accidentally met online--maybe someday I'll explain how you, too, can "accidentally meet someone online." We dated for about 5.5 months and broke up after some crazy stuff with his visa and him practically asking me to consider marrying him for a green card....ummm....NO! After that whole incident, I lost a lot of trust for him which I couldn't ever regain. He's since moved back to Mali. I've got no clue on his relationship status.

4. curtis - 11/09 - 4/10 - "the ultra-conservative workaholic"
Curtis is really close friends with my friend's brother. We met at several group events before we started dating in November. I was his first kiss and he was the first boy I introduced to my sisters--we broke up the week before the parent introduction. While things started out amazingly, he transformed into a workaholic at the beginning of the year, and for the last 2 months of the relationship, I felt like I was desperately trying to recover the spark. We talked for the first time in over a month last night, and I finally got the bit of closure I was needing. He's currently single--but I'm totally over it.

With each new relationship, I felt like I was figuring out a bit more here and there about what I was looking for. Maybe the next one will really be "the one."

-L