February 21, 2026. Tomorrow afternoon, I will go to the volunteer appreciation lunch for the Birkie ski race. It was a year ago at the same event that I met Kevin May for the very first time. 

I was sitting at a table on the edge of the banquet area, in a large, noisy room. The table was not in a great place for seeing the speaker, so it wasn’t full. I had chosen it because it was close to the door.  Two of my friends from my hiking club had joined me. It was almost time for the serving to start when Kevin came in, looking for a seat. He asked if we were saving chairs for anyone. We weren’t, so he sat and we started talking. It was difficult to hear each other, so he moved to the chair next to mine. 

I had recently gotten on the board of my favorite non-profit. The board was woefully short of members, especially men. I had been praying that God would send some recruits my way. My goal was to ask every male I encountered who might possibly be interested. I figured that maybe this was the guy I should scout out. Fortunately, Kevin is a car salesman and knows how to make conversation with strangers. We talked during the meal almost non-stop. My friends noticed that and remarked to me later. 

I don’t give my number to random men, ever, but there’s always a first time. I offered to give him a tour of the non-profit and handed him my card. He was going to leave Hayward for a month but said he would call when he got back in town. At least I had been brave and done my part. If God had sent him, He would handle the follow through as well. I hate crowds and got out the door quickly when the program was over. I don’t remember saying goodbye.

A couple of days later, to my surprise, Kevin sent a text. He was in Flagstaff, on his way to his daughter’s house. A couple more days and he texted again, this time from Lake Mead. Spread out over the next week were two more texts, and then a phone call. It was beginning to feel like I was being pursued and that was… well, kind of fun. We hadn’t been face to face that afternoon at the table so I couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like.  Naturally I hunted on the internet and found him on LinkedIn. The picture there wasn’t very helpful. We talked a lot over the next couple of weeks. I liked his voice and the attention was addictive.

He came back to Hayward at the end of March, and we decided to meet for a walk. He took me to the local cafe afterward for dinner. 

I had lost my husband to Lewy Body dementia the summer of 2023. I had a pretty comfortable life, as a widow and companion for my elderly mom. I hadn’t dated. I hadn’t even thought about dating. I was busy and I had friends. My journal entry for the day of our walk was short and to the point. “Nice man and easy to be with but not my type. There will be no romance.”

I didn’t realize then that this is the way a romance often starts. To be continued.