You can imagine that a house full of women, with one lone man, romance is a big topic of conversation. We ladies swoon over Pride and Prejudice. One of our favorite books, despite the corny jokes because of our name, is Little Women. Though we don’t have the Hallmark channel, we have seen our share of flannel wearing, coffee shop loving, trip, fall, and catch movies that are so predictable and yet so alluring.
When my daughters were old enough to hear how their father and I met, they ate up every detail and asked us to tell our story over and over again. Once they were in those teen years and began to have friends dating and sharing their little romances, we would hear whispers in the corners with our names involved. Our girls would repeat our story as if it was the latest romance on the best seller list and I won’t lie, I loved every minute.
Peter and I should never really have met. Considering all the things that changed and places we were “supposed to be”, the fact that we are here, over 22 years later, is for sure a God thing.
Working in a hardware store in upstate New York, I was having the time of my life. I love customer service. Now, before you start moaning and groaning, I get it. I know customers can be demanding, rude, and flat out annoying at times. But I love talking to new people. I love getting a smile out of them and bringing some help along the way.
Peter worked in the paint department, and I was in the front end. I had seen him occasionally as I brought back returns. We would exchange pleasantries, but he was quiet, and so we left it at that. That is until one day he was called up to the register. Peter had been trained on frontend in case things got busy or someone called in sick. This particular day, he was called up to work next to me. We had a busy spell and then were left standing at the end of our registers for new customers to get us to the end of our shift.
As we chatted, I mentioned to Peter that my necklace had a knot in it and he proceeded to work tirelessly for the next 45 minutes to fix it. I was in awe. Not because he eventually got it, but that he even cared enough to spend so much time. After that, I knew he was a true friend that I could call on. I trusted him and he made me feel comfortable.
As time lapsed, I began to get bothered by another coworker who was relentlessly asking me out every shift we were together. This guy was a player. He had dated a bunch of the young frontend girls and he was known for getting what he wanted and then dumping them. I think he was really interested in me because I was the good girl who no other guy had gotten to. Mind you, I was hit on all the time. There were a number of guys I had said ‘no’ to and I honestly had no issues. But this guy just kept at it and I was looking for a way out.
Enter Peter.
I figured since we were becoming good friends, I could ask Peter for a favor. I marched into his department one day and asked if he would help me spread a rumor. I wanted everyone to start thinking he and I were dating so I could get these sleazy guys off my back. I figured if they knew I was with someone, they would get the hint and leave me alone. Well, Peter agreed. Little did I know, mostly because I was totally clueless, was that he was into me and had been trying to find the right time to ask me out. I was thrilled because now I had a way out of saying no to guys and I had a cutie to walk me to my car at night as the store closed.
We began by casually telling a few people we were going out. You know work gossip… it spreads fast. We helped it along by leaving notes in a more public place, like the work desk or on his lunch in the breakroom, that said things like ‘Can’t wait to talk later’ or ‘Have a great day’. They took the bait. The one guy got the hint and never asked me out again. Many others thought we were a great match and were happy for us.
The funny thing is that through all of this, we began to really become great friends. We didn’t go on your traditional dates. We would head to the grocery store after work and stroll the aisles and talk. We would chat for hours at night on the phone about everything and nothing. He would call me before closing just to see how my shift went. I didn’t realize it, but I was falling for this friend. He was everything I had hoped for, without realizing it. Sensitive, kind, incredibly intelligent, and that butt. (Ok, that last one had to be said only because he was a cyclist, and the man had glutes for days.)
I have shared with my girls over the years that when you look for your life partner, don’t look for the romance and the fireworks. You first want to look for the guy who will make you laugh. The one who will stay on the phone with you until 2 am, even though you fell asleep, just to be sure you finished your English assignment. The man who will tell you the truth, even though it’s not always great to hear. The person who will go on an elaborate adventure with you, only to fall in love, and live happily ever after.
That’s exactly what happened too. The fireworks and the romance actually came much later. Now, I am head over heels for him. Actually, right now he is taking a Sunday afternoon nap… the best kind of nap… and as I left the room, I took a glimpse of him asleep and thought how blessed I am to have this hardworking, perfect for me, person to do this life with.
P.S. I love... 