Tom's story:
Tom had been married for about twenty years. He and his wife had a single child, a son who would soon turn twenty years old. Over the past several years their relationship had developed into more roommates than a married couple, Tom blamed himself due to his troubled relationship with his son and his inability to see eye to eye with his wife concerning their child. He frequently worked, often being out of town for three to five days a week; when he was home, he wanted to relax and catch up on what he missed while he was gone. His wife was very much the working professional; she would often spend several hours each day working from home after her day at the office had ended. As a result of this, Tom and she slowly drifted apart. Their sex life was nonexistent, as Tom had given up on initiating several years ago when while making love, he felt as though his wife was not interested due to her not showing any enthusiasm. He felt as though he were almost raping her, and this did not give him a good feeling; he would rather take care of his sexual needs himself than have a partner who was not interested and was going through the motions out of a sense of duty. Tom hadn't had sex in well over two years as a result. Tom's wife often would watch television, shows that she knew that Tom did not like; Tom started watching tv on his own via his computer, usually Netflix or CBS's All Access. It wasn't long before Tom began to feel lonely, and he turned to a messaging app on his phone; he found that he could spend some time talking to relative strangers and he didn't feel as lonely anymore.
Michele's story:
Michele was married early in life. She never regretted getting married so young, as her marriage brought about the birth of three beautiful children, all of which were grown and living their own lives. Her husband worked within the oil field, and he was often gone for several weeks at a time. She was a woman who had dedicated her life to her husband and family. Michele learned to be strong and handle anything that came up, as her husband more than likely would be somewhere else earning a living. When her husband was home, he tended to be a bit standoffish, and he would spend hours at a time in front of the television drinking beer and napping. With her children being grown and having a life of their own and not needing as much of her time, Michele felt the loneliness of both her husband's being gone frequently and of his completely ignoring her when he was home. Michele kept herself busy with both work and taking care of the house, but she was left feeling that she was missing something in her life, and she was lonely. She turned to a messaging app on her phone as a means to connect with others; she just needed somebody to talk to; she quickly discovered that talking to virtual strangers was the brightest part of her day.
Loneliness:
Both Michele and Tom bounced around to several different rooms on the chat app before they found one that seemed to fit them well. They found themselves in the same room. For several days they would talk, flirt, and carry on a conversation within the public forum of the chat room. They had learned through speaking in the chat room that they only lived a few hours apart. One day Tom requested that Michele accept a private message, she agreed, and they soon learned the specifics of where each other lived.
Tom and Michele began chatting regularly in the room, keeping their private messages just that, private. They learned more about each other, and what each of them dealt with on a daily basis. It didn't take long for them to discover the close similarities between their two lives. They became a sounding board for airing their frustrations and sharing the complaints about their daily lives for each other. A strong bond started to grow between them, and they started discussing the possibility of meeting in real life — neither thought that it would happen.
A chance meeting:
One Sunday a week or so before Christmas Tom told Michele that he was taking a motorcycle ride; he needed to get out of his house because tensions with both his wife and son were particularly high that day. Tom proceeded to get ready for his motorcycle ride, and he was soon out on the open road. There wasn't anything that could clear his head quite like being on his motorcycle, just him and the open road. Tom soon found himself in a small touristy town about two hours away from home and decided to stop for a rest and to check out the shops in the town.
Michele's husband had just left on yet another trip, he wasn't going to be home until well after Christmas, and she was feeling down. She hated the hours of silence when Tom would ride but knew the therapy was best for him, but the silence was deafening. She decided that the best thing to cure her glum mood was a bit of retail therapy. She loved to browse through antiques and knew that a nearby town had many places that she could window shop and possibly find some last minute Christmas ideas. After fueling up her truck, she headed out and within an hour was aimlessly walking around the quaint little town, stopping into various shops and stores. Everything was decorated for Christmas and carols echoed across the cobblestone streets. Her mood had lifted a bit as she opened the door to the next store. She was wandering through the store when she happened to notice an attractive man wearing what appeared to be a black motorcycle jacket; she immediately thought about Tom and hoped that he was safe on his ride. The man was attractive and carried himself with confidence, and his messy salt and pepper hair had a windblown look. He turned, and her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her chest, this man looked exactly like the pictures that Tom had sent her.
It couldn't be! Tentatively, she called out Tom's name, her heart racing, wondering if it could really be him. The man glanced over his shoulder when he heard her speak, then went back to inspecting the antique hutch that he was looking at previously. Wait! She had called him by name! The man quickly turned back towards Michele with a huge smile and a look of pure surprise. His beautiful blue eyes shining as a smile lit his face. He recognized her from the picture sent to his private messages.