Once upon a time and happily ever after graced the corridors of my consciousness, but not anymore. Now my psyche cries get through the day and don’t commit homicide.

From my right comes a deep voice. A man voice. It startles me and I turn to see someone who would earn a lot of swipe-rights.

I recognize him right away, his dark hair sprinkled with gray a perfect match to his profile picture. Which is a relief. Lots of guys post pictures from a decade ago, thirty pounds ago, or a couple of ex-wives ago. As if nobody would notice.

Excuse me? I’ve been called a lot of names over the course of my forty years. But the words Christmas hussy have never been uttered.

A worry pokes the back of my brain, an inescapable anxiety that I wasted my best years on the ex-hole.

Recently divorced Anna Waite is learning to appreciate life after first love. With the support of her best friend Kira and a solid sense of humor, Anna tackles the world of dating. This is her coming-of-middle-age story. THE (NON) DATE WHERE I MOVE A COUCH I often ask myself, how did I get into this ...

The way he says friend makes me smile, and warmth spreads in my belly. It fills me like a pecan pie straight from the oven.

He laughs so hard he struggles to catch his breath. Taking a snapshot of the sound, I close it in my memory, like a mental locket ready to open when I need it.

Recently divorced Anna Waite is learning to appreciate life after first love. This is her coming of middle age story.

The memory of Dylan’s laughter escapes from my mental locket. I can imagine his eyes crinkling, the gray brilliant with humor. His smile curving upwards and making his face almost too beautiful to look at.