the other hand

There was a guy in my dorm my freshman year in college. My second floor window could see into his "basement" floor window because we both faced the courtyard. My best friend since high school would come to my room and we had our "beefcake" watching time. We would say "hi", but we hung in different circles. After that first year, we really didn't see each other again.

She actually dated him after we all graduated and they were both living in Phoenix. She reported that he broke her heart and was basically a womanizer.

I went on one date with him while he was living in Phoenix, and I was in town for a long holiday weekend or something. I'm pretty sure he contacted me, and I was curious. I was doped to the gills with the Tegretol. And I learned why you can't mix alcohol with anti-epileptics. I got sick, and feeling embarrassed, lost contact with him yet again.

Then he contacted me again around the holiday season. I met him for lunch. He had changed career paths again, and was looking to establish a stable lifestyle and settle down eventually. Since my big 30 was on the horizon, it was a tempting daydream to find someone and settle down.

Boyfriend and I were casual at that time, but I was already falling for him since the December trip. I was obviously conflicted - do you go with your heart, or the fantasy of settling down with someone that will be there every night with you?

Lost contact with this guy again. Changed email addresses, etc. Then I get a call from my mom about three weeks ago.

"Some guy called and asked for you. I said that you weren't here. But he asked if I could give you his name and number. So here it is."

Sure enough, guess who?

Mom wanted to know who this guy was. I said it was someone from college. She made some sort of comment that I must have made an impression on him if he's looking for me now.

I take his number, and think about it for a while. I finally called him Friday after work. Told him I was moving up to the area. He told me he was doing a two year RN program to become a nurse (yet another career change). He said that in everything he's done in his life, he wanted to do something that would make a difference to people. Taking his microbiology course made him think of me, and he still wanted to get together.

He offered help moving. I said that I think I have that in check, but will keep it in mind. And would make more definate plans once I was up in the area. He wants me to see his new kitty (remembered I was a cat person).

I'm still trying to figure him out. Three different careers since graduating college. Says a lot of nice things about settling down and the like. I guess I just want to ask "Why me?"

Am I the notch on his headboard that he's been missing? Or is it something else?