Mark had spent a whole week down in L.A. to be with his new girlfriend, Mary. I met her briefly before he and I began our trip up North. She was very nice and I hope to see more of her and Mark in the future. He believes that she’s “The One.” We’ll see. He was quite the lothario back in the day. I cannot tell whether he has changed very much in regards to that.
I can tell, however, that he has become more introspective. Our ride up was a very nice opportunity for us to connect mentally and intellectually. He has mellowed out a bit. There doesn’t seem to be an urgent need to prove he’s “top dog” all the time. That’s always nice. He listens – usually. And, he is motivated to stay with one girl. More importantly, if this relationship with Mary doesn’t work out, he understands that he does not need to belong with any one group or person. I believe he has come to terms with one of the basic facts of life.
We arrived at his apartment about twenty minutes ago. I’ve put down my stuff and we’re about to head out for some Thai and fancy coffee before we go and pick up his long-time friend, Renee.