Reader Submission: Break Up Extravaganza "Bon Voyage"

We received this reader submission from Wayne about his recent bittersweet break up. Read on:

After a rather uneventful start of the summer enjoying the leisurely life of a public school teacher, I was out with friends at a South Philly bar one night, bitching and moaning about the quality of women that are out there. While my two female friends were outside smoking, I was graciously watching their bags and brooding. I noticed a rather striking young lady sitting at the bar. I gazed and gazed and when my friends came in, I requested they walk up and give her my number. They smartly refused and told me flat out how lame that would be.

So, in a flash of courage, as my companions and I were leaving to attend an outdoor film, I walked up, introduced myself, and handed my number and email over to her. An hour later, I got a text message from an out of town number asking me if I'd like to get a drink. I ditched my friends, grabbed my bike, and hustled my ass back to Passyunk Ave.

So we talked and drank and talked and I found out she was interning in town over the summer, living in New York and finishing grad school. She was pretty much going back there in a month. It was a nice, no-big-deal night out with a great girl.

A few days later, I sent her a text asking her out again. I took her for out for Mexican food at 9th and Federal, then to a secret spot for a drink. It was a good night. It went on from there with a date a week, (thanks to my trusty babysitter Amanda Mello helping me out) watching The Wire all the way through, etc, until she went back to the big city.

So, you'd figure that's the end of story, right?

Not so fast. We ended up trading weekends, one in Chelsea, one in South Philly. It was like a goddamn Godard film. Looking out of her beautiful condo window onto Manhattan, how couldn't a boy be smitten?

We went away for weekends, she met my 7 year old son, I met all of her friends, she met mine. Dreamland. Then reality started to sink in. The distance between us kind of sucked and she was going to Paris for six months to finish her studies. So, we have the talk and figure we need to get ready for this. We decided to go off for one last nice weekend in the snow. It couldn't have been more movie script ending; the icy streets of Cambridge, room service, reading stories while stuck in traffic.

I guess this break up story is about acceptance and maybe taking from it what you can. I'm a South Philly boy, there's no doubt about it. But it sure was nice to go outside the box and wonder for a bit. Some days ain't easy. I liked her. It certainly helps that what I walk around during the day are my surroundings, yet I cringe every time I see the Manhattan skyline on TV.

Awwww! Wayne! What a sweet story. Thanks for sending it in. Now, we are going to go watch Annie Hall and cry. Again. For the third time today.