Dating after the mastectomy

I've dreaded this moment, but I can't put it off anymore. "These are all saline," I tell him. "Here, feel them"

Published September 28, 2014 12:00AM (EDT)

       (<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-787438p1.html'>Leszek Glasner</a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>)
(Leszek Glasner via Shutterstock)

It’s my first date with the boat captain, and I’ve already told him I’ve had early-stage breast cancer, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries.

I’ve also told him some of the good stuff -- about my recent, post-divorce New Year’s trip to Costa Rica where I zip-lined, spotted baby monkeys and sailed on a catamaran.

In the eight months since my separation, he’s the only man from the dating site with whom I’ve felt a strong connection. I have longed for and dreaded this moment. If this continues, I’ll have to reveal even more. I’m afraid it might m...

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By Wendy Staley Colbert

Wendy Staley Colbert is working on a memoir through Pacific University's MFA program. Her personal essays have been featured in publications such as SalonWhole Life Times, ParentMapThe Feminist Wire and This Great Society. Her essays are also included in the 2014 anthologies  SPENT: Women Write About Their Complicated Relationships to Shopping and  Three Minus One. See http://wendystaleycolbert.com

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