When Otter met Platty: He said

While officially we met on the 16th of May, 2006, we did “meet” beforehand on a dating site called Nerve. I had set up an account in hopes of meeting new people but never put any effort into contacting anyone. I suppose you could say I was just trawling for bites. Jenny contacted me and after a few brief exchanges, I decided to let it go, mostly because she had no photo on her profile. Ironically, we ended up meeting in person at the Polo Fields but at the time, hadn’t made the connection to our previous Nerve encounter. I don’t really remember too much about the day we met other than her careless friend knocking my newly painted bike into some chain-link fence so it’s no surprise her memory of that day is of me as a jerk.

2006 was the year when San Francisco fell in love with the track bike and it brought all sorts of people together, people who otherwise would never have met. People from the widest array of backgrounds and interests were suddenly coming together to explore, train, and discuss all things fixed-gear. To meet these needs online, several local members of bikeforums.com came together to start a forum specifically for and about San Francisco fixed-gears. It was here that I met many of the people I now consider my closest friends.

I used the forum mostly as a way to organize group-rides and it was on these rides that I really came to know Jenny. She was devout cyclist. And she loved pushing her limits. I naturally gravitate towards these kinds of people, as I love not only pushing myself, but others too. It’s one of the reasons I’ve garnered the nickname “coach” by many of the local riders.

Over the last couple of years Jenny and I have spent a great deal of time together on the bike, and a lot of time out together socializing with friends. We’ve set each other up with dates, lamented at their failures, and confided in each other our wants and needs as lovers and companions. It’s funny to think that over all this time, what we really wanted was each other. I suppose we both had some baggage and some issues to work out to come to that conclusion, and during the 2008 race season, we began spending a lot more time training together. A good portion of training is spent recovering from efforts, and it’s during this time that Jenny and I had a lot to talk about. I grew closer to Jenny, and with that, my feelings for her changed. I suddenly found myself strongly attracted to one of my dearest and closest friends. Predicaments. This is a tough place to be. On one hand, here you have the potential to realize something truly great, on the other, rejection and subsequent awkwardness. Not an easy choice when it involves someone you truly care about. To make matters even more confusing, my intuition was telling me Jenny was changing the way she felt about me too, but I was too scared to act on intuition alone. Fortunately for the both of us, she was brave and during a conversation one day over Instant Messenger, popped the awkward tension with the truth.

1:14:23 PM Jenny: there's a question i want to ask you
1:14:31 PM Jenny: but don't have time at the moment as i'm leaving the office in 15
1:14:48 PM shawn: what does it relate to
1:14:56 PM shawn: i'll start thinking about it
1:14:59 PM Jenny: relationships
1:15:10 PM shawn: any particular aspect?
1:15:46 PM Jenny: umm...
1:16:04 PM Jenny: it's hard for me to detail it specifically without being somewhat...
1:16:10 PM Jenny: maybe not an IM conversation, hahaha
1:17:15 PM shawn: is it about someone specifically
1:17:28 PM Jenny: yeah
1:22:55 PM Jenny: let me put it this way. i guess a number of things have happened recently that have made me think about a person in a different light
1:23:24 PM shawn: that's cool
1:23:53 PM Jenny: in a romantic way, and just not sure whether to say something
1:24:08 PM Jenny: what would you do?
1:24:09 PM shawn: that's a tough one
1:24:55 PM shawn: i would pursue it, if it feels good. i'm all for experiences that are driven by the heart
1:27:21 PM Jenny: yeah - i guess i'm just worried about rejection, haha
1:27:27 PM Jenny: or awkwardness
1:29:20 PM shawn: i say go for it
1:29:30 PM Jenny: haha - easier said than done
1:29:58 PM shawn: do i know this person?
1:30:07 PM shawn: do they ride bikes?
1:30:38 PM Jenny: what if i was to say that it's you?
1:30:46 PM Jenny: *embarrassed silence*
1:31:23 PM shawn: is it me?
1:31:37 PM Jenny: ummm....
1:31:54 PM Jenny: yeah
1:31:55 PM shawn: strange you would say that
1:32:00 PM Jenny: now i feel totally embarrassed.
1:32:00 PM shawn: i have been feeling the same
1:32:13 PM shawn: and haven't figured out what to do about it…
1:32:34 PM Jenny: really?
1:32:36 PM shawn: yeah
1:32:41 PM Jenny: wow

We spoke later that night over Instant Messenger and while we were both undeniably overcome with excitement, we had both become incredibly nervous about our next move. While it’s not such a difficult transition to go from friend to lover, it does make it incredibly difficult to make the first move. In walk whiskey. Ah yes, a fantastic friend to the inhibited. A couple of shots later, and I’m on my bike headed for her house.

Perhaps even more awkward was in breaking the news to our friends. Many of them saw us as brother and sister. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times the response was “ew!” or “gross!”

I cannot be more thankful of all that’s transpired since first meeting Jenny back in May of 2006. We’ve forged a long lasting, deep, meaningful relationship, built on friendship, trust, and love.