OLIVIA & LUKE
Living successfully on their own, almost 600 km apart, Luke and Olivia, both 70, decided, with the nudging of his family and her friends, to reach out for a possible romantic connection. While they had a mutual long-time-ago family friend in common, they had never met in person.
In November 2020, they were cautiously tiptoeing towards each other, first with introductory online correspondences, followed by hours of engaged telephone conversations. By January 2021, they decided, after fluctuating between wondering if they were crazy to pursue this acquaintanceship or not, that it was time to meet “in the flesh” and experience whether this relationship was worth carrying forward.
So far, they had shared a few photos and substantial dialogue. What was it that would clinch their connection? “I loved his voice from the first time I heard it,” says Olivia, “but I needed to know if we felt physically comfortable with each other.”
Luke was keen for romantic companionship that also stimulated his intellectual curiosity. “There is enough overlap for this to work,” he said.
The two agreed it would be the non-verbal cues, expressions, and gestures, that would make or break their future together. Much else, including “being together but not living together” had been discussed and sorted.
But then, BC travel restrictions outside designated health zones were implemented. So, they decided they would meet in person when it was possible to travel around BC again, but to carry on, in the meantime, with what was already turning out to be a dynamic experience.
Being in the Third Act of life, it seems, made it all the more compelling.
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