Every August 1st, the same thought crosses my mind: summer has flown by yet again. Just yesterday, it was May full of hope but today, I can already feel the evenings growing shorter and the air turning crisp and clear.

This year, I had such high hopes that things would be different. I pictured us grabbing blankets and heading to the river at sunset, sipping chilled wine and laughing at silly things. I wanted my cheeks to ache from smiling, not my back from working all alone. But August is here, and I’m still coming home to an empty apartment, turning on the TV just for background noise.

Honestly? I am dead tired of being strong and self-sufficient. Those are pretty words for people who actually have a choice. I don’t have a choice I’ve simply gotten used to surviving. But deep down, beneath this armor of a fifty-year-old woman, lives an ordinary girl who longs for a man’s shoulder to lean on. Someone with whom I can share more than just text messages someone whose cologne I can smell on my pillow.

I want something real. Not just a let's see how it goes fling, but something serious and lasting. I want us to watch this summer fade away together and plan not just a vacation, but a life shared. I want to stop fearing winter because I’ll have someone by my side to keep me warm.

August is my personal deadline. I tell myself, Inna, stop hiding. I am here. I am open. I am ready to offer my care, my loyalty, and that kind of mature love that is far more precious than youthful passion. If you, too, are tired of counting the days in solitude, let’s at least meet up. There is still time this August for a miracle to happen between us. What do you say?
Inna