Death of The Lone Ranger

How sad that the first mention of my Lone Ranger is to speak of his loss.

He arrived into my life over thirteen years ago -- the result of my early attempts at online dating. Match.com provided the portal through which Michael first contacted me. It was a simple two line intro -- he was a physician, relocating to Atlanta.... 

I didn't believe him. Let me confess now that I entered into the online dating process not trusting the process to be an easy intro to someone perfect for me. I expected that there would be men out there who would misrepresent aspects of themselves and their lives, to gain entrance to a woman's life. I was on guard -- especially for the dreaded 'married men' and 'players'.

We began a writing relationship. He was a prolific writer -- which matched my style well. After maybe a month of correspondence -- he asked if I would meet with him for dinner when he came to Atlanta that weekend. I agreed and we met at The Outback. 

A large, 6'4" man with tousled hair falling over his forehead, gold rim glasses and wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, sat across from me. We had a very relaxed, nice evening. 

I left there thinking what a nice guy he was -- attractive -- and convinced that he was a construction worker just trying to impress with representing himself as a doctor. When we next spoke on the phone - I told him that it didn't matter what his 'real' profession was, I liked him. He chuckled.

Michael handwrote three to four page letters to me - several times a week! He called every day -- and he came to Atlanta a couple of times a month. THE most romantic dinners of my life, were with him. His wit --- his incredible ability to tell a story (Tuscan cooking school story was my favorite - as he conjured up visions of Lina Wertmuller's  "Seven Beauties" movie, with him being Giancarlo Gianinni.) -- all added to his attractiveness. But his best quality was always his love for his family. 

His three children from his first marriage were his world. His love for his deceased mother, who had died only a few years before - of cancer - and his protectiveness over his father and many brothers and sisters, showed a huge heart. 


Despite the fairy tale elements --- there was no fairy tale ending.