This essay was originally posted on Prodigy in May of 1993.
Since then, it has appeared in numerous places throughout
Cyberspace. It is about Online Romance, and meeting someone
face to face for the first time.
The Road and The Wall
You know, I have been down this road a couple times before.
It is exciting; It is beautiful. The other times as I came
to the end expecting the ultimate thrill, beauty, I found a
blank wall. As I turned and went back, the scenery was not
quite as green, not as beautiful. But the trip was worth it
so I traveled again. As I reached the place where before the
wall had stood, expecting it this time, instead I found a
tree-covered ridge gracing a mountain in Tennessee. A great joy,
sense of fulfillment. A feeling that every road I had traveled
had led me to this place. A feeling that any previous disappointment
was simply a price I had to pay for the unique priviledge of
experiencing these feelings once again in this lifetime. The green
grass, the joy, the all-too-short time. But the wonder when you get
there and there is no wall. Where did it go? In front of me in its
place was a road of the rest of my life. A gentle downslope. A smooth
surface, maybe a few curves and low hills to climb, but definitely
something I could handle. At the side of the road, waiting for me was
a map, held by a person who wished to travel with me. The end is the
end, so we are not in any hurry to get there. The trip is the thrill.
Sometimes a wall ends the trip early, but you go back and travel again.
Sometimes there is a person waiting to make the trip with you, to help
get up the hills, help find the way. But, always travel, the wall doesn't
always happen as I had begun to fear. Sometimes there is just a beautiful
picture of the future. Even with the wall there are a lot of lovely roads
to travel before you find out. And sometimes, the first time maybe, but
always the last time, there will be no wall.
Steve
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