Love Story

I Can't Help Falling In Love

I have had many happy days in my life and at least 7 happiest days when each one of my children was born.  I, however, have to rank at the very top the day I met and fell in love with my beautiful wife and partner of almost 36 years. I had been single and divorced for approximately two and a half years, on the day she crossed my life’s path.

I was working as a vocational counselor at a community college alongside a Viet Nam Veteran that I enjoyed working with and considered a good friend.  He and I were meeting in my office, discussing student files and comparing progress notes, when one of the front office secretaries called on the intercom to check, if I knew the whereabouts of my coworker. I am purposely not mentioning names because I didn’t want to have to clear the content of this posting.  I responded that we were meeting in my office, and he asked her what she needed him for.  We had not notice the passage of time and had worked past the start of the lunch hour.  My coworker had a scheduled lunch appointment and she had arrived.

He was reminded that he was supposed to have lunch with his sister to celebrate her birthday.  He asked the receptionist to show her to my office where we were meeting.  Before I go any further I feel the need to explain that in a recent visit to my mother’s house, she had mentioned that she would feel a lot better, if I got married and didn’t go through life by myself.  My response was that I would be at least 45 years old before I considered marriage again (some 16 years in the future).  Now back to that special moment I interrupted.

When she walked into the room, I was taken by her presence (read that striking beauty), and poise.  My coworker mentioned that they were celebrating her birthday and invited me to join them for lunch.  I felt the need to properly represent the professionalism of my office; after all she was a student at another college some 70 miles away.  Before they left for lunch it was brought up by her brother that she and I shared a similar taste in music and that I had a sizable collection of some of her favorite artists.  I wished her a happy birthday and told her to feel free to call to borrow music anytime she wanted.  At the time we didn’t realize that we only lived a block away as the crow flies.

When they left my office I actually felt like I was in love.  I felt compelled to write her a note on my IBM Selectric II to once again wish her a happy birthday, and tell her that if it was alright with her parents I would like to see her again.  Fortunately for me I had a shining example of a reputation, and her parents had heard great things about me through her brother, and they gave their permission. I will condense the love story of a life time and say that we had about 4 dates, including one out of town that was chaperoned, and we married secretly within a couple of weeks.  After the secret marriage, I lived up to my upbringing and scheduled a meeting with her parents to ask for her hand in marriage.  I was granted her hand but we never had to go through with the planned future marriage because we were already married, and as they say the cat got out of the bag.  Less than a month later I dropped by my mother’s house to introduce her to her beautiful new daughter-in-law.

I’ve said it before in previous postings, if I could start my life over; I would do everything the same so I can end up where I am today.  I love my wife and family very much and at this point in our lives I believe that she is going to keep me.  The best is yet to come….