For some reason whenever I travel, there will inevitably be that person who asks me, “Do you have a boyfriend?”  Well, actually, yes, I do.  Besides, it’s not as if I’d ever stay and get involved with any guy I meet on my trips, even if I was still single.  What motivates these people to ask, despite knowing that I’m a traveler who’s just passing by for a few days?  It’s certainly a far-fetched scenario that I’d be smitten suddenly and be convinced to stay longer, yet they still ask as if they have a chance.  It’s an interesting phenomenon; I wonder why people are like that.  I mean, deep down they must know it’s a silly idea, right?

Today a lady asked for this guy when I was waiting for the bus to arrive.  I find it amusing how people always want to match make, whether or not the pairing is actually feasible.  This happened a lot when I was working in Whole Foods around LA a few summers back.  Strangely enough, all the sushi men seemed to be Chinese and they were all eager to match me with their sons, grandsons, or nephews (especially when they found I speak Mandarin).  At least they had a sliver of a chance, since I’d actually be around the area for more than a few days.  Still, it strikes me as odd that the thought is even entertained when they’d have no way of contacting me (and please, I wouldn’t give my info out for some guy I’ve never met).  I guess to some extent we all need to live on hopes, dreams, and the occasional fantasy.

Today’s lady was very surprised to see me traveling alone if I had a boyfriend.  Are we supposed to be glued together?  Am I not allowed to travel if I’m not with him?  Well, you know, sometimes people are busy and can’t always travel together.  Nice as it would be to have him here now, unfortunately it is not possible.  I was almost tempted to say, “I’m sorry, my other half isn’t here now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be my own person.”  That’s the impression that I got – that somehow I wasn’t allowed to be my own person without my boyfriend in tow.  Well, that’s certainly not the case for me!  And so it goes, just me striking it out on my own for now.