My story starts when I was 17 years old.
I was being bullied at school and didn’t have any friends. I used to dream about a prince charming on a white horse, erm…ok, at least on a bike, to come to save me from my misery, although realistically speaking, I sort of knew that was highly unlikely. A girl can dream, amirite?
To pass some time and fill up my socialization gauge (lord, was I lonely), I used to talk with random people on an online chat called mIRC. Yahoo Messenger was also very popular but that was like a level 2 in social relationships.
ASL PLS? (if you don’t know what that is, go Google it. If you do, damn…you’re getting old.)
ASL PLS? (if you don’t know what that is, go Google it. If you do, damn…you’re getting old.)
Conversations were usually in chat rooms with a lot of users. At one point, a dude started a conversation with me in private. We instantly clicked. It was great. It was soon time to head to level two, we exchanged Yahoo Messenger ID’s and continued from there….until I found out he was 22 years old, that is, 5 years older than me which, back then, seemed a LOT to me. So naturally, I freaked out and kind of stopped talking to him.
One day, a few weeks later, while basking in chips and soda after school, I logged in Yahoo Messenger and noticed his profile pic: an awesome looking set of speakers. So, like any petty 17 year old teenager with questionable standards would do, I said “Awesome speakers! How you doin’?”. I can promise you, the Universe looked down on me and sighed.
We found out we had a lot in common, we talked a lot and had great conversations and soon enough, I was asked out on a date. I was really thrilled (teenage love is quite something). He was sweet and funny and I thought “Hey, five years isn’t THAT much. “
We exchanged pictures. Thanks to my not-so-great Internet connection, the picture took a few seconds to load. Gosh, I didn’t even breathe.
We exchanged pictures. Thanks to my not-so-great Internet connection, the picture took a few seconds to load. Gosh, I didn’t even breathe.
My sheer enthusiasm dropped like a brick in a lake. I had my second freak-out. He seemed older than I had thought. I couldn’t bring myself to cancel the date then, because my mother raised me better than that, so the next day I made up a really REALLY lame excuse not to go. The Universe sighed once more.
The following day met me with waves of guilt. I realized I had been a total jerk and also realized that my lame excuse was so lame, there was no way he believed it. I texted
him and proposed we meet, just to have a clear conscience. I figured that if things got fishy, I’d just make up another lame excuse and…you know…leave (can you ACTUALLY do that, though?).
him and proposed we meet, just to have a clear conscience. I figured that if things got fishy, I’d just make up another lame excuse and…you know…leave (can you ACTUALLY do that, though?).
As things turned out, there was no need for anymore lame excuses. As a matter of fact, the center in my brain that controls coherent, logical speech shut down the second I saw him. Those green eyes. That smile. I heard the choir of Angels singing behind me, if I had been in an anime, my eyes would have been heart shaped, my heart started pounding. Love at first sight.
I was really nervous and couldn’t do the putting-words-together-to-make-sentences thing. About 10 minutes into our walk, he very politely asked to hold my hand. That was the point where my brain went into overdrive and my “not being able to talk much” turned into “talking way too much…and very loudly.”
We had a great date, I think. Most of it was in a haze because as we were sitting down he flirted a lot, looking straight into my eyes and everytime he did that, my mind would basically give me the Windows blue screen. He walked me home, we said goodbye, I had dinner and went to bed.
We had a great date, I think. Most of it was in a haze because as we were sitting down he flirted a lot, looking straight into my eyes and everytime he did that, my mind would basically give me the Windows blue screen. He walked me home, we said goodbye, I had dinner and went to bed.
After my body flushed out most of the adrenaline and my pulse dropped below 120, I slowly realized how awkward I had been. “Oh…oh no”. I was 100 percent sure I totally blew it. For the third time. I texted him to say I very much enjoyed our date and would love to see him again. That seemed to me like it was screaming into the void. I didn’t expect a reply.
Luckily, he decided to give me a second chance and we went on a second date.
This year we are celebrating 12 years together and 7 years of marriage. We have a child, a home, a life together, mortage payments and that stuff. He still makes my heart jump. My mind still gives me the blue screen of death anytime he flirts. We hold hands and I get tingles.
This year we are celebrating 12 years together and 7 years of marriage. We have a child, a home, a life together, mortage payments and that stuff. He still makes my heart jump. My mind still gives me the blue screen of death anytime he flirts. We hold hands and I get tingles.
We still own the speakers. My husband wanted to sell them on several occasions but I made it very clear that it will never happen. They have a very special meaning to me and although my husband knows the story, I don’t think he REALLY knows.
You know, love mostly never happens like in the movies, sometimes it hits you like a truck where you end up wanting to be hit again…by a bigger truck.
You know, love mostly never happens like in the movies, sometimes it hits you like a truck where you end up wanting to be hit again…by a bigger truck.