I wasn’t looking. And despite my sister’s encouragement, I wasn’t eager to meet the guy she kept saying was a very nice man. She’d worked with him for decades and had even showed me his Facebook Page. Nice smile. Good looking guy. But I’d gotten used to being on my own lo’ those many years and frankly didn’t want the drama.
Then she invited me to a Military Appreciation Day concert. Mom, Dad and my sister were planning to go. She added, “Oh and Doug’s coming too.”
Great. Pressure. I said, “Okay, but just don’t make me sit next to him.” I didn’t want a setup. I’d been in the new house just a few years after the wildfire burned my old one down and was happy to have some peace in my life. But just in case, I brought my best friend along too – for protection ya know.
We all met for a bite to eat before the concert and I noticed how nice he was to my Mom. He was great fun to talk with, we had some things in common and I liked the stories he told.
The concert was wonderful. I sat way at the end of the row and he sat way at the other end next to my sister. After it was over, he gave me his business card and I gave him mine.
My sister told me that as they walked out to the car, Doug mentioned he liked our family a lot. “Your Mom and Dad are great. Your sister was nice.” Then he said, “But I REALLY liked your sister Laura.”
The next day, we exchanged a polite, “Nice to meet you” email and then, well, then there was nothing. A month passed, so I went about my business until out of the blue, I got a text. “Would you like to have supper with me sometime?” I said yes and within a minute he extended the invite. “How about this coming Monday?” he asked. The guy didn’t waste much time firming things up.
So we had dinner — once, twice, three times. He came to my house and I went to his. Before we knew it, we were a couple. It was gradual but it was clear there was something there of substance. We got along well. He made me laugh. I shared all my baggage early on, thinking it was best to get it out there so there weren’t any surprises. He did the same. He asked me questions about my likes, dislikes, my life and my driving record. (He’s an engineer, after all.)
There were regular emails with links to romantic songs on YouTube and texts of “sweet nothings” that gave me goosebumps. I loved being pursued and I swear there were days I couldn’t concentrate on work. At. All.
It was wonderful to finally meet someone who seemed to be as enthralled with me as I was with him. Truly, the sun shone brighter and the sky seemed bluer. Life was good!
Then my birthday came around. Wait till you hear what happened next!
