Got Milk?

Hijacking a quote from 'Apron Anxiety' (by Alyssa Shelasky) that was hijacked from 'Daily Blender'...
"I would be displeased and scared shitless if my little girl started talking about wanting to be a chef. I guess it could be worse. She could talk about wanting to go OUT with a chef." ~Anthony Bourdain

For the majority of my romantic life, I have always seen myself as ending up with someone structured, vivacious, fun, dependable, impetuous, and with high standards. Essentially, a mess of contradictions like myself. I've dated a wide variety of guys to try and find that mix, too- bookworms, jocks, artists, geeky goofballs, felons, frat boys, and coworkers. Ultimately, I figured out that the people I was most likely to find that eclectic mix in was either going to be a Marine or a chef. I grew up as a military brat, so the idea of odd schedules and deployments never fazed me- it was all a part of the package. However, I'm not exactly in a military city, so chefs have been my most attractive option. I'm just wondering- why?

I want someone dependable. Chefs, as a general rule of thumb, are not. Working in restaurants, I never get to celebrate holidays and birthdays on time anyway. Being with J, if we want to do anything, we have to pray we have a day off at the same time. And even then, our dates will be interrupted by calls from his sous chef, his purveyors, and his front of house staff at least two or three times. I understand this. I do. I don't get mad, because one day, that will be me. But it's a bit disheartening at the same time. Worse are the days we make tentative plans, and he has to cancel last minute because of a restaurant emergency. Again, it doesn't change how I feel about him, it's a chef fact of life and I get it. But why do I stay and willingly let myself get disappointed?

Maybe, it's because when we're together, he acts like I'm the only woman on the planet. We can go loaf around and talk for hours, or just be quiet and enjoy each other's company. He can make octopus shit jokes in front of a group of young kids and their grandmother, and we'll both find it inappropriate and completely hilarious. When he is here, he's a chivalrous gentleman and a sweetheart. When he's not, he still finds time to text me once or twice a day, and doesn't mind me polluting his inbox with inane bullshit.

I can handle the disappointments because I know, at the end of the day, he makes it worth it. It's like I've spent my life drinking shitty skim milk, and then someone gave me a big glass of chocolate milk. Sure, it can spoil like any other milk, but at the end of the day, it just tastes so much better- why would I ever go back to skim milk?

"You do something to me- that I can't explain-- so would I be out of line- if I said, 'I miss you'?" ~Incubus, 'I Miss You'