“I just think about how Diane’s daughter must feel now,” Jason says. “I was pretty close to her; I still am. I’m talking to her on the computer right now.”

I ask Jason if this is an experience he will try to avoid in the future, getting involved with much older women. He thinks about it for a minute. “Depends how old,” he concludes. “How old are you?”

Related:

• Archive: “Features”
• Articles by Ariel Levy
• Table of Contents: May 29, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!