Debut on the Dating Scene

Admission: I was not always as single as I am in this city.

Explanation: I have never been married, but I have been in several long term relationships.

Clarification: I define long term as lasting 1-3 years. I can only define them up to three years because that is the longest I have been in a relationship. I have reached the three year mark three times with three different men. That is either my threshold for how long I can stand one man or how long they can stand me.

Aside: Not really, but sometimes I wish it was that simple.

Back to explanation: I have found the dating scene in DC to be unusually difficult to navigate. I was in a long term, long distance relationship when I moved to DC. It was not until my second year here that I made my debut on the dating scene. At first I found it very difficult to meet people outside of work. This had not been the case before. I moved to Los Angeles only knowing 4 people on the west coast and had found myself dating by the second month and in a relationship within five months. In grad school, I had a date by my third week of school. In college I think I had a crush by the end of orientation....but DC was tough. I rationalized that it was because I work a lot and in an industry where there are not a lot of straight men. But that felt like a lame excuse. Then I finally meant "Jack".

Another Aside: I changed his name of course, can't afford a lawsuit on my single girl salary.

Back to explanation: Jack and I had three fun dates and once we got back to his place on the evening of the third date he informed me that he was married. Yes ladies and gentlemen married. The only thing positive about this moment was that he was noble enough to tell me before trying to sleep with me.

Now the appalling part of this story is not that a married man asked me out, or that he told me. No, the appalling part is that he was the 4th married man to ask me out in this town. In fact the first 4 men that pursued me in this city were married. That's when I knew I was in treacherous waters. This scandalous behavior does not only happen on the hill ladies.

Lesson Learned: I now ask all the men I meet if they are married before agreeing to go on a date with them. This summer I have even gone as far as to check their ring finger for a tan line .