The way we love now

Boy meets girl.

It’s so simple. You can meet them anywhere: a coffee shop, through friends, at a party. Someone might introduce you, but maybe not. Maybe you meet through a dating app. You can swipe right on - thousands? - of individuals.

That’s how Derek got his date. He made reservations; he ordered the wine. He checks his watch: 6:01pm. Molly should be arriving any minute.

Then his minutes start ticking. His life is ticking: one more minute alone, and then another. This date: it’s to eradicate his lonliness. He needs this.

We all need this.

There’s a chain of events after boy meets girl. You date. Fall in love. Marry. Live together. Have children.

It’s so simple.

Derek checks his watch for the fifth time: 6:55pm.

Where’s Molly?

In the moment in which Derek now resides, he has failed.

In this game in which Derek is playing a lead role, he has lost self esteem, self respect.

In the world in which the biggest status symbol of all is to have a partner, he is the single loser.

In a society in which finding and keeping your partner is your identity, he has failed.

Derek checks his watch for the last time: 7:15pm.

Boy will not meet girl.

As he gets up to leave, he bumps into an old coworker, who is talking to a beautiful girl. This coworker was someone he had never imagined could meet someone. Someone he could never imagine would be dating at all.

Boy has met girl.

We all want it.

It’s so simple.