The Princeton Ploy

It was her third day as a freshman at Temple University in Philadelphia. Sue was riding the elevator with her friends between Hardwick and Johnson Hall when he got on. He had all of his stuff. He was moving in. “School started already,” one of her friends said. “I was in San Diego,” he said.… Continue reading The Princeton Ploy

Designer Dogs, 200th Post

As I watch the end of the Oscars with a little dog cozied up in the chair with me and my sister asking when she can go to bed, I think back on the man I met the other night, the one who wants to get a Doodle Dane, a cross breed between a Great… Continue reading Designer Dogs, 200th Post

Door Number One or Door Number Two?

It was all because of a blizzard. Well, sort of. I wanted to go to Minnesota to see the boyfriend I’d broken up with five months before while we were in Europe. We had bought Eurail passes and had made our way across the continent, sleeping on trains, in tents, and youth hostels, even though… Continue reading Door Number One or Door Number Two?

At Face Value

Freddy went onto Bumble to find a date. He waited until a woman messaged him (that’s how Bumble works). Her photo showed a good-looking blonde with a great smile. His photo showed a strong guy with a stylish beard, brown eyes, and an adorable face – his moneymaker. Freddy messaged her back right away. Samantha… Continue reading At Face Value

Parking Lot Pick-up

Edith and her friend, Laura, were bored. It was Saturday night, and they’d been at their all-girls’ school, Holy Names, for a whole week. It was time to find some guys, to find a party. They pulled into Berkeley and headed for Fraternity Row. Laura spotted someone she had dated before and rolled down the… Continue reading Parking Lot Pick-up

This Little Piggy

After college, I lived in a town with 2000 people and a bunch of pigs — real ones, the kind that grunt and poop and lift the gate latch with their noses. I saw something run past the window of my rented farmhouse. At first I thought it was a deer until I put on… Continue reading This Little Piggy

Say What in Santa Cruz

Jennifer met Brad at San Leandro High school. She wasn’t allowed to date, but she was allowed to go to junior prom. The next year Brad asked Jennifer to Senior Ball. It was in San Francisco, and afterward, they went to Pier 39 with everyone else in their limo. Brad had gotten blue contacts for… Continue reading Say What in Santa Cruz

Blind Date in a Castle

Lynne was studying abroad at a university in Sweden. One of her friends convinced her plus another young woman to be blind dates. His school was hosting a fancy dinner and ball at a castle in Stockholm. The Swedish school was inviting guys from Denmark and Norway for the event, and they needed dates. The… Continue reading Blind Date in a Castle