Our story starts like this…
I had just moved back to my hometown after having a year of adventure — I had moved 7 times & had more W-2 forms than Carter has liver pills. It was August when I moved back to my parents’ home. I quickly found a job and became involved with family and church activities & enjoyed seeing my old friends on the weekends. Of one thing I was sure — I was FINISHED with dating.
When you’re of a certain age without a boyfriend, it seems that EVERYONE wants to get involved. Your relatives & neighbors begin to suggest going on dates with friends of friends that are single — like, hey, he’s breathing. What about him?
I knew I needed to get out a little more when the female priest at our church offered to be my “wing man”.
One cold night in mid-fall, after a high school football game, I met some girlfriends at the local watering hole for an adult beverage. We were all busy catching up on gossip, when JT said to me, “I have to introduce you to this guy or he won’t stop bugging me.”
My first thought was that he was cute & my second was a question… “Why in the hell is he wearing flip flops in October?” Just as we were making our introductions, the door to the restaurant opened wide and in stepped…
my parents.
“Please keep walking, please keep walking,” I repeated in my head. My mom gave me a wink, but my dad could not resist. He walked over to us, put his arm around me and said, “Do I need to put this guy in a headlock?” I was so embarrassed!
“Dad, please just go or I’m going to be single forever.”
Coach still took my phone number and to my surprise he called me the following Tuesday to ask me to dinner. I didn’t call him back. Then a few days later, he called again. This time he invited me & my teenage brother to a football game. I didn’t call him back.
Two weeks went by and my mother and I were standing outside of the stadium at the school where he was an assistant coach. Our high school team also used this stadium. As we were talking, out walked Coach from the locker room. The mature woman that I am, I quickly hid my face. My mom commented on his looks (remember, they’re all still looking for a man for me!) and I admitted, “He’s the guy I never called back!”
Over the next three hours at a high school football game, I was counseled about how we only get so many chances in life & we need to take healthy risks. I was told to find his email, find his phone number, send smoke signals — whatever, but to apologize and GROVEL. She actually said GROVEL. So I did.
We had our first date on the Thursday after George W. Bush was re-elected to The White House. We’ve been together ever since…