My problem was that, since I never had much of a social life after entering puberty, I didn’t really have many chances to meet someone I might have thought I was in love with. There was this girl I worked with at my first job, and because it was a very small office with only three of us, we were in close contact every day. I got to know her quite well, and I knew she liked me and showed some romantic interest. Unfortunately, being a very shy teenager (around 16 or 17), I lacked the confidence to take things further. I’m not saying it would have turned into anything since we were so young, but I’ve always regretted not taking that opportunity. That was about 60 years ago!
For someone like me, assuming I’m on the spectrum, not being able to mix with women in the workplace has been a major handicap in forming potential relationships. The kinds of jobs I’ve had over the years were mostly in all-male environments, so there weren’t many opportunities to get to know girls.This is the problem when you don’t get out much.
A couple of years later, after moving on to another job, I finally got up the courage to write to her and ask how she was. She politely replied, so I thought I’d give her a call with the idea of meeting up. Unfortunately, when I did, her mom answered and told me she wasn’t available. I tried once more, but again her mom brushed me off. I figured she had moved on, was probably in a relationship, or just didn’t want to reconnect, so I gave up. Still, I often think back and wonder how things might have been if I’d been a bit more positive when we worked together.
