Dating Apps Work

At the age of 23 I decided- it is about time to find the one. And so, I searched for an online dating app since men wouldn’t just approach me and... isn't it trending now? I found so many apps, some asked for too many details for completing the profile. “Eyes color”, “hair thickness”, “how often do you drink”, “how good are you in bed”- answering those.... you wouldn’t even have to talk to the person when you meet them, you just go straight to a relationship or even better- a marriage. I tried another app then, which did not require too many specific details. I filled the basic ones and uploaded three photos. It did not take a while until 150 men messaged me, liked my picture, my profile, swiped me to the right, marked me with a star, clicked to follow me, poked me- so with all of the notifications, there is no way you miss the ones who are not your type. I did not give up though, I kept on looking for the best dating application. I found this one attractive app, that was slightly different than the previous ones. It did not ask for too many personal details and the greatest thing about it was that you can choose from who to get notifications or not. So only by liking the guy you could see if he liked you\messaged you, but this thing works both ways. 
If I liked the guy, he would never be able to know it unless he likes me back. 

After a couple of days, I received a mutual “like” notification from Johnathan. The basic details just said he is 23, lives “close by” and I loved the two photos he had on his profile. We decided to go on a date. I could not take the smile off my face, he is the one. I was happy to see, dating apps do work! 

After a whole month of great dates and sharing some basic information about each other, I asked Johnathan if he is Jewish. This should have been my first question actually since I am Jewish- I was not going to compromise over this detail. 

“WHAT?! You are not Jewish??..... Why didn’t it say so on your profile?!”

“Oh well, because you only have to fill in the basic information on this app…” He replied. 

Summertime Affair

Summertime Affair

“I am so sick of this semester, I have been studying like a maniac” I said to Robin and Helen my only two best friends. “Yeah, and the dreary freezing cold outside is not adding any good to it” Helen agreed after another puff from her spliff. It was wintery outside, snowing, which is untypical to Florida. We used to hang out a lot in Helen’s apartment, I guess because it was so cozy and warm, though the heater was never on. Not once did I ask myself why I am so attached to this apartment, but I never admitted out loud that sometimes I just go there to see Austin, Helen’s roommate. He is barely there when I am there, but I guess today was my lucky day. Austin was a student too, we used to go to the same university but he never talked to me. God help me, Austin just stepped out of the shower, a white towel wrapped around his hips giving me the blessing of the day by showing his muscular V-shaped lower abs. The spliff I was holding now in between my fingers fell on the floor after this brief glimpse, and I automatically moved my head to look at Robin. Robin opened his eyes as he was sharing a mutual excitement with me. All a sudden I felt a warmth rushing through me as if my blood was on fire, the palm of my hands got sweaty and I was scared Austin would notice it, but the man is pretty oblivious to his surroundings, so he did not. If I went outside, I would have probably exuded steam due to the contact of my boiling body with the cold atmosphere. Austin never really spoke to me, and Helen always used to tell me that Austin is more into dumb blondes. I was not dumb, nor blonde. And so, days passed by, we finished our first year in college and summertime was just around the corner. Robin and I used to go more often now to Helen’s apartment since it was our summer break. Though these times were different; Austin’s contract in this apartment came to an end and he moved out. So, I just came in to smoke, laugh and leave, there was nothing for me to anticipate.

The next day was the usual, it was pretty dry outside, not so hot nor humid. It felt more like European weather than the typical hot- burning weather you would expect in Florida. I was on my way home from the gym when I heard my phone alerting me of a notification. I opened my Instagram and I saw Austin’s name asking to follow my profile. I screenshotted the moment in my phone and sent it to Helen saying: “look who is into dark-haired girls ;) ”. Never in my life did I imagine having such a deep and funny conversation with Austin. The typical Florida sizzling weather was now my body. We talked about everything, for days, morning till night and it took us just three days to want to meet up, and so we did. Our dates couldn’t be any better, Austin is not only this hot, Greek God look-alike man, but he was also soft and gentle, and he loved to touch me. His touch would set my body on fire, giving me heavy breaths and a racing pulse. On our third or fourth date (not that it matters…) he invited me over, it took him too long to ask for that. I had been waiting for this moment since the first day I saw him, or maybe since that day he came out of the shower in Helen’s apartment. It took us less than 5 minutes to strip each other down, we threw our clothes on the floor, not even paying attention to where they landed. His body was firm, some areas were hot some were cold and sweaty, he was nervous, I could feel it. We kissed for god knows how much time, while touching each other everywhere. I noticed his right hand was not on me anymore but trying to open the window, we were both hot, blazing and sweaty though the heat that came from outside did not help us out. Just great, the window let such a hot wind come in if like the heater was on. Or maybe it was just us. I moved my hands on Austin’s abs, I felt every muscle and vein pumping through his skin. When he was between my legs, the walls around me felt on fire...

The day after...

“Tell me everything!” Helen pleaded, emphasizing the “everything” while the three of us were sitting in her apartment again. Robin was about to say something too when all of a sudden we heard loud, strong thunders and a pouring rain like never before. We could barely see through the windows since the rain quickly turned to ice. “What the…?” I mumbled staring at the windows. 
“Will you tell us already what happened with Austin???” Robin asked impatiently as always. “Austin who?” I replied. Their countenances reflected confusion, so I helped them out, “it was nothing more than a summertime affair”.  

Mallory

Mallory

Winter was Mallory’s favorite season of the year. After three years of an intense relationship with her beloved boyfriend, she knew it was coming. He was a hard-working man, spending hours in his office. Getting work done, presumably. Mallory couldn’t wait to show off the shiny, sparkly engagement ring that now laid in his first dresser drawer. 

The thought of how much Mallory loves the white snow covering the naked tree branches crossed his mind only briefly while he was uncovering the legs of the gorgeous secretary that laid sprawled across his desk. The day happened that the sun shone again, melting the snow off the view, and the ring disappeared from the drawer but not to Mallory’s finger. Mallory discovered this as she stepped into his office, bringing him lunch and coffee from his favorite place, finally ready to confront him. The moment she saw that secretary leaning on his desk, she couldn’t miss the shiny engagement ring that was supposed to be hers. Mallory looked straight in his eyes as if the moment froze like the snow that had just until recently covered everything outside. She took off her wig which she had been wearing for the last 3 months, threw it on his desk and said, “you are not the only one who has secrets, good luck dealing with your conscious for cheating on a sick woman”. 

Contractors and Dog Tags

 Leah was 18 when she met Joe. A big, buff black man, army contracts was his profession.  

They have been together for 10 months, hiding their relationship from the outside world when black and white in this area was absurd. Joe was Leah’s first love, she loved him in a way words can not describe. Joe was respectful. He was a very peaceful kind of man, a bit dramatic but Leah loved it about him. She always wanted to feel like in a movie, and these dramatic scenarios, that occurred infrequently, were needed to complete her excitement in this relationship. The touch of his hand was all she ever wanted and needed in life, she missed school, she was barely at home. Blind and bound by his love.

It was an awfully cold and windy night, the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday. Leah wanted to show Joe what it is like to celebrate Hanukkah together for the first time. She bought five different types of donuts and brought them to Joe’s apartment which was not so far from where she lived. It was one of their best experiences. The freezing cold outside the apartment couldn’t penetrate the heat the two spread when they were together. Leah lost the track of time, she completely forgot she was supposed to light the first candle of the holiday with her family. She realized that when the strong sound of a knock on the door filled the room. Leah knew something bad was happening. She was in a constant fear that her family would find out, her father would never forgive. Dating a Christian black man was a sin. The worst scenarios crossed her mind till she heard her biggest dread calling her name outside the door, “Leah!!.....Leah! Open the door! I know you are in there!!!”.

Joe looked at her with despair, not knowing what he is going to face by opening that door. Leah’s eyes filled with tears while Joe took his dog-tags chain off his neck and put it on hers. He made sure her black shirt covered them. The door collapsed by a cop and Leah’s father on his side. The expression on his face made Leah sick, this was her worst nightmare. He grabbed her by the arm while the cop pushed Joe away from their way. There was not a word said, it all happened so quickly.

Leah turned to open her dad’s car, in a constant cry, not being able to think about anything else but the anger that filled her soul. She did not want the family that was waiting for her to light the Hanukkah candles, they couldn’t replace the enormous love she received from Joe. She could not open the car, she knew that if she is going home with her father, she would never see Joe again. She took three steps back and ran back to Joe’s apartment. “If you walk away now, you are not welcomed in our house anymore” her father shouted from behind, killing the silent street. Her eyes were red as the donuts’ jam, she bought earlier, she could hear but not listen, all she wanted was to be back in Joe’s arms and so it was.

That night was something they both wished to forget. They laid in bed facing each other as he caressed her cheek and asked: “are you sure of this Leah? You know that in three months you will have to find a place to stay in”. She held his hand that laid on her cheek and said she knows, she has never been so sure in something as she is now. Their night ended as they made love, kissing and touching every area of each other’s body, breathing each other’s breathe and burying their fingers in the flesh, as this was their very first time.

Three months were well spent, Joe’s contract in Israel was about to expire the next day. They did not waste their time, they made love at least twice a day, Leah cooked and cleaned, and Joe provided her with money for whatever she wished. During their last week together, they mentally prepared themselves for the separation. They played “Don’t Forget to Remember Me“ by T.I on repeat and that made Leah ask, “do you think you gonna forget about me?” Leah asked while sitting on Joe’s lap, looking straight into his eyes. “I never will” he said back, holding his dog-tags which were hanging on Leah’s neck. “You see those” he said, “hold them tight when you miss me, it will give you strength”. “I will find my way to America, when you are done with the contracting, I promise” Leah said back and kissed him firmly, thirsty for his warmth again.

Nothing prepared Leah for the heart break she felt when she dropped Joe off at the train station. Their hug lasted for continuous minutes. She could barely look in his eyes because of the tears that bothered her vision. He left. There was no where to go to, no one to cry to. The sorrow became her best friend.

While going through a severe depression, Leah knew that her family won’t shut the door to her face if she comes back and so she did. She entered the house and did not leave her room for 10 days and just after a month she decided to find a job, though the loneliness and the morning sickness she couldn’t hide anymore made her write this:

“Dear father,

I can’t look you in the eyes for all I put you through, for the million time you were right. He never cared about me, I filled his boredom here in Israel. I was what all the contractors look for. I was nothing more than that. They come and go, not caring about what they are leaving. Joe blocked me anywhere on social media on the night he left, I spent 10 months killing my family for someone who killed me”

Leah’s father finished reading this in a trembling, breaking voice, crushing on his knees, while the paramedics loosed the dog- tags chain around Leah’s neck and determined her death.