True Love

On June 13, 2002, eleven years ago if you’re counting, I met the love of my life.  Well, “met” might be the wrong verb.  “Read” is a more appropriate word, although I don’t know how you can read someone, unless you’re Theresa Caputo from TLC’s Long Island Medium.  But I digress.

You see, Don and I met online.  Yes, it’s true.  We were two of those lonely, desperate, can’t-attract-the-other-sex kind of people that you see on the commercials.  Except that we’re not.

We were both in the midst of divorce at the time, reaching middle-age (me a little faster than he), and neither one of us was a bar/night club/singles type of person.  My attempt at finding love online was helped along by a glass of wine and boredom.  I haven’t asked Don what made him look there, and I don’t need to know.  What I do know is that two people, living 500 miles apart, yet growing up within 45 minutes of each other, found love.  True love.  Good, strong, lasting love.  I mean, c’mon…we haven’t killed each other yet, have we??

Don’t think we haven’t considered it!  We disagree about numerous things; too many to list here.  But we don’t fight.  “Never,” you might ask?  “Never,” I would reply.  I can count the true fight-fights we’ve have on one hand.  We might discuss things, or ignore each other for an hour or so.  But Don’s pretty laid back about those sorts of things and I have a terrible memory, so we forget about it and go on our merry way.

What attracted me to him?  I can’t quite explain it.  Maybe it was his matter-of-fact writing.  Or his humble description of himself. (Everything he said turned out to be true.  Bonus!!)  Or the fact that he wasn’t a pervert wanting an extra-marital affair or a three-way.  (To our dearest friends – I know he’s a pervert now, but I’m afraid I’ve made him that way.)  Whatever the reason, we began corresponding.  Within two days, we were speaking by phone.  Within two weeks, we were madly in love.  Two months after that, we met in person.  We’ve been together in heart and soul since.

A year after we met, I moved to his location to be with him.  A year later, we welcomed our daughter, Tessa.  We married in 2006 (in no small part to pacify my Southern Baptist parents).  We had a few rough years, but we made it through them and now I can honestly say I’ve never been happier and have never loved anyone as much as I do this man.  He is still my knight in shining armor, and my heart still beats faster when I see him.  He makes me laugh more than anyone else I know and he's the person I run to when I need a shoulder to lean on.

So if we started out under unusual circumstances, so what?  It worked.  And I am forever blessed.

Let me close with these words from the song “True Love” by the artist Pink: “You’re an ass-hole, but I love you.”  I love you, Goober.  <3

 

 

P.S.  See, honey – I told you quoting Pink would work for me one day!