Hello. My name is Sidney. Please forgive me if what I write is awkward. I’ve never done this before. Michael asked if I would mind writing about how we first met. At first I didn’t know why and then I read his last few posts on his blog! I admit that I find it sort of funny.

I had just finished getting my degree during the Winter of 2005. I met Michael the first week that I started my new job in BEthesda. In fact, it was my fourth day and I remember seeing him on the train earlier in the week. I really thought nothing of it. You see so many of the same faces each day. We both stood at the same area at Metro center and waited for the Red Line to take us to Bethesda.

I remember that he would never sit. If he was sitting, he would give up his seat to someone else and he always read the paper. He was always well dressed and polite. Whenever he would stand up to give up his seat he was always very gracious about it. I never had boyfriends who were that nice.

One day he just strolled up to me and said that I had a very nice purse. What impressed me the most was when he asked if it was a Kate Spade purse! I had just bought it a few days ago! I had never known a man who could pick out a Kate Spade Rivington-Gisele! Afterwards he looked me in the eyes and smiled. I can’t explain it, but you could see that he was smiling with his eyes. He then introduced himself by saying ‘My name is Michael’ and he gently shook my hand. After I told him my name he smiled at me again and told me to ‘take care. Have a nice day’ and then he walked away. He just walked away from me!

I was a little confused but there was something about him that was so open that he made me curious. Before I could get up the courage to walk back up to him our train had come. It was going to be crowded so I made sure that I positioned myself so that I could be near him so that we could talk more. As luck would have it the train was completely packed. I remember that we were pressed right against each other, face to face. As the train moved forward he just came out and said ‘Wow. You’re a very attractive woman.’. I didn’t know what to say! We chatted and talked the entire ride to Bethesda. He made me laugh and he made me feel very comfortable. He didn’t make me feel like he was better than me or that he was trying to pick me up. When I talked to him I felt like I was talking to someone I knew for my entire life.

I was having such a good time that I didn’t realize that we got to our stop. That’s when I noticed that the crowd around us had dissipated but we were still standing pretty close to one another. the way we were standing, he was grabbing a pole over our heads while I was holding the post behind him. As I look back upon it, I had him cornered and pressed up against a wall! When we got off the train, we walked and rode to the top of the escalator together. I didn’t think I’d see him again until Michael nonchalantly said ‘Do you want to go out to lunch?’

We’ve been good friends ever since. We occaissionally get together and we talk about everything under the sun. I like him because he makes me feel good about myself and he makes me feel beautiful and I don’t feel like he’s some slimey creep trying to get into my pants. We’ve gotten along with each other so well over the past years that I would have no problem being more intimate with him if he would let me. But he’s always the perfect gentleman and he regularly reminds me that he’s married. i still get a little jealous when i hear that he’s going out with his friend Allie.

Most of the boys I’ve dated have been self-centered asses. I hope that one day I could be as lucky as Michael’s wife and find someone who is as fun to be around, intelligent and nice to make my own. he says that people, both straight and gay, always ask if he has a brother. in his own little way it is easy to see why. He’s the kind of guy who can sweep you off your feet without you even knowing it.