how i met your father (part 2)

You can read part 1 of the story here...

So concentrate I did. I finished up my last semester of 1L (mercifully) and celebrated the return of a break from school. I was single and spending all of my "free" time at school or studying, so I was feeling a bit disconnected from society. I decided that I wanted to join an atheist group. A lot of the reason that people join churches is for the social aspect, so I figured this way I could get that without the god crap. I was really pretty nervous about joining. I lurked the meetup page for quite a few weeks before I gathered the courage to go to a meeting.

I went to the first meeting and had a good time. I met lots of really nice people (and a couple douchey ones). When the next meeting rolled around, I wanted to go, but I couldn't make myself. A couple days later, I received an email from one of the members, a guy named Shane. He said that he missed me the other day and that he hoped that they hadn't scared me off. I made up some excuse about why I wasn't there, and asked if he wanted to get together sometime (I'm quite brave via email). He told me that he would and that he invited 2 other people from the group to join us. (Clearly he didn't get the hint that I was asking him on a date.)

The four of us met at a bar/restaurant on the north side of Indy and chatted for quite awhile. Eventually the others left me and Shane to ourselves, and we stayed quite late talking. Soon enough we were dating, despite the fact that it was a VERY BAD IDEA. You see, in the fall, Shane was going to be going off to grad school in either Buffalo, NY or College Station, TX. I was undeterred. I'm a champion at running head first into relationships that are a terrible idea.

We dated through the spring and summer, and then I helped him move up to Buffalo in August. I made plans to move up there after graduation the following year and take the New York bar exam. Things were going well. We talked on the phone every day, and I flew up to see him nearly every other week (sucker). On the day of the 2011 Super Bowl, we broke up, and I flew back to Indianapolis (and was that weird girl crying in the airport).

After a day of solitude, I realized I wasn't that sad. Sure, he was nice and we got along, but I think that I clung to the idea of a long-term relationship with him because he was the only atheist guy I'd ever dated. However, much like politics, love isn't defined by a single issue.

So I was back on my own again, and surprisingly ok with it.

...to be continued...