Mr. Unavailable #82: To Regret or Not to Regret

This is a Mr. Unavailable flashback circa 2002.

Vital Stats: 5'8", Early 30s. German Living in London. Son of a Wealthy Industrial Family. He said he had a job but I don't think he really had a job because he didn't need to have a job.

First Impression: At first glance, he looked like something of a stereotypical German (glasses, short hair cut, neat attire) but didn't act nearly as uptight as one. We got along famously. It was clear he liked me.

The Situation: We met at a wedding in Costa Rica in November 2002 and then traveled around for a week. He gladly paid for just about everything under the rationale that he would have been traveling to these places anyway and it was nicer to have my company.

Signs of Hope: For a relationship? Because I was part of the equation: none. I was dating Mr. Unavailable #81 at the time and although #82 and I made out the night of the wedding, nothing else happened for the rest of the trip, although his teasing advances were a source of amusement for both of us.

Red Flags: Once again, I was the red flag. He made it clear that he liked me and even said if I was ever interested in a long-distance relationship, he knew the guy for me.

Turning Point: A few weeks after the Costa Rica trip, he told me he was dating someone. He would call me from time to time and, for several years, even called on my birthday. He visited me in New York a few times, which I suspect were feeler visits because although I met his girlfriend one of the times, I wasn't invited to the wedding and eventually the calls stopped coming. Last I heard, they were living in Gstaad, Switzerland, and his wife was running an art gallery.

Diagnosis: Maybe if I had given it a chance, my romantic feelings would have developed. At any rate, if, perhaps, I had wised up seven and a half years ago, I would now have a devoted husband and be running an art gallery in Gstaad.