Today is the 13th anniversary of the day I started working for my late husband – I don’t think I’ve discussed this before, but my late spouse and I worked together before the whole “spouse” thing happened. And today is the anniversary of the day I came out for my training.
You see, we were online friends, who were co-maintaining another online friend’s blog – we were friendly and we had met only once. That once meeting was supposed to be a business meeting, but our personalities being what they were, it turned into an excuse to drink and talk and chill with a friendly face. We discovered on that “business” meeting that we really enjoyed each other’s company and conversation, something that would become more apparent the more time we spent together. But let’s get back to the significance of this anniversary.
So it was the second time we were together – this time for a workforce training – I can’t even say that with a straight face. It was more like two old friends just hanging out. We started out with him explaining the business and the tasks he expected of me, and I, with pen and notepad in hand, dutifully took notes. However, the conversation meandered to other topics and we ended up just talking about baseball, politics, our lives and music. You see, we really connected on our love of music, so we ended up going through his music library and playing any songs we could think of – sort of like a contest – a way to test each other’s music knowledge. The contest didn’t have any stakes, but it foreshadowed our favorite pastime, listening to good music together. A few hours into the training, he proposed dinner and he and his 2 girls and I jumped in his truck and headed to town for dinner.
Honestly, there was nothing earth shaking about that day other than good fun, good camaraderie and a genuine enjoyment of each other’s company. He was a dedicated single father raising his daughters, but he was starved of adult conversation and I could tell. Many little details of that day are carved in my memory, especially the peace that I felt in his presence and it became apparent on the trip back to his house after dinner. With his girls laughing in the back seat, and the hum of the radio in the background, and him quietly focused on the drive home, I was overcome with the strangest premonition – it was a encompassing feeling of belonging – something I’d never experienced. It felt right, it felt like I belonged in that truck with those 2 girls and a man who I had only met twice – a man with a similar mindset, tastes and attitudes. It was all too much to process, so I let that premonition wash over me, and savoring the implications, but also knowing it wasn’t possible (or so I thought).
We returned to his house after dinner and the rest of the night was more conversation and music. Time flew past me that night and soon it was late and I needed to leave. I remember pulling out of his driveway with a wonderful sense of possibility and a realization that this man was someone I was going to cherish having in my life. It was almost supernatural (Spoiler alert – it was).
We were still mostly strangers to each other, but as a close friend of mine put it, we were strangers that clung to each other, because we didn’t know what was to come (That friend knows who he is – lol).
Seeds were planted on that day that would blossom into something remarkable and extraordinary.
It was also the day I was introduced to his impish and quirky spirit. This is for you dear.