Lather. Wince. Do Not Repeat.

Today, I ran into an old boyfriend. I'm not sure that "boyfriend" is precisely the right term for this one - we were never really an item (none of you - not a single one of you on my friends list, nor any of you not on my friends list who none the less read my LJ - met him). We didn't so much break up as I decided I didn't want to go on another date with him. I forgot his name.

But he remembered mine, oh yeah, he remembered it in that way that makes me want to say prissy things about that's not my name anymore. He says he never stopped thinking about me. It was a special moment in his life, he said, with me. Just after we stopped dating, his ex called to tell him she was pregnant. Their son is three.

He noticed I cut my hair. He noticed I still read fantasy novels. He asked if I still go to science fiction conventions. He said everything but "planning to grow up anytime?" I tried to think of something to say to him and it occurred to me that he wouldn't understand about our big pink birthday cake of a house, or the bread experiments, or the tulips, or how our younger cat's name is long and extravagent and basically a warning label. I stopped dating him because he was kind of boring. He is more boring now. I don't think we're actually the same species. If he was the same species, he would get all that stuff. Instead, he says "I see you're still reading fantasy," in a tone that implies "haven't you grown up yet?"

No. I haven't. And I don't plan to.