Last night I pulled up in front of my date’s house and she said, “Hi” while I was getting out. I handed her flowers that I arranged in a rectangular vase. All the flowers came from my yard. I didn’t realize that she was going to get in my car and was embarrassed because it’s full of gravel on the floor mats and is a little dusty. She took the flowers inside and then we were off!

The whole date was a surprise. She had left it that way.

We went to an interactive art gallery together. There was a story line for our walk through. We talked a lot though because we are so new and chatty, but we got the gist, solved the puzzle, and got wildflower seeds at the end of the exhibit.

We walked across the street to a horror themed 80s bar that had really good food.

I’m from here and had never done anything like this for a date or been to either of these places.

She planned and paid for the whole date.

When we got back to her house, I realized that there is one thing that is different about a polyamorous person who’s not solo. Their significant can come home when it’s obvious that you’re being romantic with their partner.

I acted a little bit like you would with parents coming in when you’re in high school. Then it was ok and I mostly adjusted.

I think that it will be better for me next weekend when we all go out together for the author’s 60th birthday party.

I won’t have time to date until next June. So, it’s going to be a very long period of my establishing with her. I think too that having several concurrent relationships will be difficult until years from now because I don’t have much time to dedicate to partners. My time is spoken for with my jobs and I don’t like doing anything poorly.

It’s been really nice to go slowly with a woman too. I have needed this pacing again.

I went slow in 2024, but that relationship felt like work to me and I wasn’t getting needs met. It was a good post-divorce relationship.

I was leaving and she always walks me out when I do so. I was asking her what her fiancé calls her and she told me–I’d never call her the same term of endearment. He sometimes calls her Babe too, and I’ll avoid that one too. I settled on Sweetheart and she’s so flexible that it was immaterial to her. She told me that it would be weird if I called her fiancé, Daddy, and we both laughed about that one.

It’s always hard for me to completely leave her. I was talking about how she has shown up in her previous relationships and she called herself getting over being a “fixer.” I told her that she was in luck in that I don’t need any work, live alone and love that (I think that my son is finally moving out forever in December.), and do all my own things. And she said, “Yes, but we can have the nurse in the office with the doctor.” I laughed and then it gave me pause. I liked that. A lot. And found it hot. I stopped laughing and looked at her across the street and told her that I’d have to think about that prospect all night.