Someone Is Waiting

Is this a case of life imitating art?

Last Saturday afternoon I saw the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. (I also saw Four County Players' production of the same play in Barboursville about two weeks ago.)

Then, in Monday's Washington Post, I came across the "Ask Amy" column, written by the successor to Ann Landers, my Georgetown classmate, Amy Dickinson. In it was this letter from a man who could easily have signed himself, "Robert in Manhattan":

Dear Amy:

I am a 30-year-old man and have never been married. I've tried dating and relationships but have found that I prefer to be alone. My friends and some co-workers, all of whom are married, can't seem to grasp this concept.

They often make comments or suggestions that I find somewhat insensitive, as if to say that a person can't be happy or fulfilled while alone.

I've told them my views on the subject, and yet they persist. I'm willing to wait for the right woman, but no one seems to understand this.

I don't want to come off as rude or callous, but how do I get them to back off about this?

Happily Single in Va.

And here is Amy's response -- is her first sentence meant as a sly reference to what I discerned in the letter?

Marriage loves company. (So does misery, but that's another issue, right?)

You're not callous or insensitive if you prefer to be single, though, as you've noticed, singledom does seem to make some married people uncomfortable.

When people inquire about your status, you can say, "It may seem strange to you, but I'm really happy with things as they are, but thanks for caring." If you are interested in dating, however, then get out there and do it. The right woman almost never comes along unaided.

My reviews of Company and other plays I recently saw in New York will be posted later this week.