This is a Tale from Sip and Go Girl. It’s the true tale of a relationship that more often than not ended with the first time I went out with a fella.

Jean was one of those fellas.

And this one had a criminal record.

The university instructor and former mechanical engineer met me near the university where we were going to get a beer. He rode his bike there. He said he was hungry for an actual meal, but not for the pub fare served by the brewery we were going to.

We had an easy and relaxed conversation as we walked across the street to the Middle Eastern restaurant he wanted to check out instead.

Thus, this sip and go ended up being a “chew and go.”

Jean and I talked about weighty issues of the world. He was active in a group called “No More Deaths.” It’s an organization that works to prevent the deaths of immigrants making the long and arduous journey illegally into the United States. He seemed involved in human rights issues in general.

I enjoyed talking with him because although he too had an advanced degree and enjoyed academia, our careers and general interests were not the same. We hugged at the end of the night and parted ways.

There was something sort of familar about him however. Often, of course, many people we meet seem familiar because they remind us of someone else we know. But this time Jean just seemed somehow plain familiar to me.

I do have amazing intution, although at that time it wasn’t all that strong as it is now. But the next day at work I decided to check around on the Internet.

Jean had been arrested the day before our date and accused of trespassing during a protest at the local U.S. Air Force base.

Following the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march on that Monday, three people including 46-year-old Jean walked onto base with messages for base leaders regarding military weapons and drones. Police say the three men refused to leave the base and were arrested and later released from the county jail. He was facing a trial in the next few months.

I never heard from Jean again.

You know the whole thing that women tell each other about why a guy doesn’t call? “Maybe he lost your number.” “Maybe he’s out of town.” Usually, the famous line and reason is “he’s just not that into you.”

In this case, Jean might have never called me again because he was in jail.