First it’s the networking event portrayed as a fishing tub for second wives. (See last week’s blog.) Now I hear about the website for self-described sugar daddies and sugar “babies.”

Evidently, says the creator of SeekingArrangement.com, those dissatisfied but well-off, somewhat socially challenged fellows can ply the waters of more young things who like “the finer things in life” in a site that makes even the skankiest denizens of match.com or eharmony.com look positively wholesome. OK, that may be a bit strong, and I know women enter into these contracts as well, on both sides of the deal.

The recent New York Times Sunday magazine profile  is a fascinating tour through this less-than-satisfying (if you ask me) world. It introduces us to a range of girls, from the, uh, practical college types who view these pay-for-play arrangements as an honest second job, no different from waiting tables, to others just thrilled with the game of make upwards of $1,000/month for a wide-open job description. Prices can go for anything from just discussing Camus to nibbling on “daddy’s” ear to pretty much anything the buyer desires.  (I won’t get into the obvious prostitution argument, though the author does.)

The guys? Well, some are bored marrieds, looking for adventurous young love to make their middle-age selves feel younger. Some, like the practical 39-year-old entrepreneur “Sam,” is looking for an “algorithm that will predict relationships’ success.” (Girlfriends, the article tells us, are cheaper in the long run than mistresses, prostitutes, especially wives.)

The feeling that permeates the piece is just pure sadness. Sure, several say that supposedly “honest” adults can easily manage this “business associate-with-benefits” deal, so much easier than actually forming a real relationship. Funny, though, that not many last. And the saddest of all is when B.K., the main character in the profile, is so thrilled with the renewed attention from one of his associates: “I’m almost giddy like a schoolboy.” Guess it wasn’t all business after all.

See, I don’t think we’re wired that way. Emotions do get in the way. Feelings are messy. But the millions of love-starved and hurt guys and gals who bravely move on to new marriages—we get messages from them every week—show that hope does spring eternal. And falling head over heels is priceless.

Many even find that it was worth kissing all those frogs to find the handsome prince/princess; and you don’t have to get paid for the work.