Hayley's Comet

Somewhere along the kaleidoscopic galaxy of love, sex and one night stands, we find ourselves in the middle of concepts such as fate and destiny. Throughout the infinite constellation of soul mates, first loves and dating disasters, we gravitate towards each other until one day we find a fit as perfect as Orion's belt. It can take years before we find that kind of stellar connection, and while the universe tends to work at her own mysterious pace, I couldn’t help but wonder about the people in between and their significance in this celestial journey called life.

They’re forever saying that certain couples and relationships are predestined and "meant to be".  The notion of two energies colliding through space and time, against all odds until they finally meet and become one is such a lovely thought; but back down on planet Earth, we are more likely to fall into a black hole than meet this so-called supernova. Meaty-whores, ass-teroids, a cluster fuck of bad relationships. A girl's gotta pay some serious dues before she hits the cosmic jackpot, and with so many complications along the way, it’s no wonder we’re questioning fate. 

As I drove past the old Milky Lane along Beach Boulevard, I thought about my own dating existence and the celestial beings that have come and gone. Michael, Evan, Jay (the alcoholic) and dearest John. Once the brightest stars in my universe and now just burning balls of gas fading away into the distant memory. While most of them had successfully moved on to someone else's orbit, there are the rare few that choose to remain constant. Was this destiny at play or just another collision waiting to happen? I couldn’t help but wonder...

Once upon a time there was a marketer called Hayley and a scientist called Steven whose paths had crossed along the intergalactic highway called “findmymatch.com”. They were both searching for life on other planets and instantly formed a connection over the most random topics of conversation. Their online banter evolved into telephonic relations, and eventually, about a year after first contact, decided to officiate their friendship in the flesh.

It only took one bottle of Pongraz to break the sound barrier and even though they had not officially defined their relationship, there was definitely chemistry. What followed was a beautiful, unconventional friendship full of laughter, road trips, purple elephants and philosophical conversations about altruistic states of being. Even though the cosmos had another plan in store for them, Hayley and Steven seemed destined to be together one way or another.

One starry night, Hayley caved and told Steven that she loved him at the risk of losing their friendship. It was quite the dramatic scenario and even though Steven was light years ahead of Hayley in almost every sense, he managed to say it back. Whether he actually meant it or not was irrelevant but for the next three days, Hayley was in absolute heaven. The events that followed are still blurry, but suddenly, Hayley lost all contact with Steven.

Over the next four years, he was like a comet appearing here and there and as random as possible. From the apologetic email two years later to the more recent congratulatory message on Hayley’s successes, Steven flashed from a brilliant distance before zooming off at the speed of light. Although Hayley had everything she ever wanted and more, she welcomed these rare sightings in hopes of one day rekindling a friendship that once burned so brightly in her heart. 

We don’t always know why the universe throws certain people our way but perhaps the unexplained and the unknown is what makes this life so much more interesting. While it would be wonderful to astral project past all the pain and heartache that comes with being in love, it's probably best to just leave these things in the hands of fate and destiny.

When it comes to our romantic destiny, is the perfect relationship already written in the stars?