I guess now is as good a time as any to begin my thread. I don't think I will even try to keep it condensed. This just seems like a good way to offload a whole bunch of what has been crammed up in my head. And now with having a cold there seems to be even less room to fit the cauldron of interpersonal turmoil that is boiling away in my cranium. So anyway, time to release my personal pressure cooker and hopefully feel slightly better in doing so.
I met my wife on Nov 20, 2000 in a Bon-Ton Dept. store. It just so happened that a good friend of mine also worked in the Men's Dept there. So in the process of paying him a brief visit he pointed out several of his female co-workers who might make good prospective dating candidates for me. Of those he mentioned, only one did I wind up approaching and talking to. For me to be approaching and striking up conversation with really anyone and especially a female was rather uncharacteristic for me. What truly stands out above all else from that first encounter with the beautiful woman I would go on to marry, was her cheerfulness, her smile and how she seemed to immediately take comfort in being around me. The comfort level manifested itself in her placing her hand on my shoulder and my arm. This was kind of an element which normally would make me uneasy but I found it to be a pleasant surprise. So, the non-verbal indicators were very good and as for her verbal input, it had a slightly wierd twist to it. Her first remark to me was to ask if I was any relation to the W@#*^ family. I told her they were unknown to me and she informed me that I bore a striking resemblance to the man she calls 'dad' (actually her stepfather), and that was his surname. Our conversation during that first encounter although not a great length of time formed a definite connection between us. She was eager to further that connection evidenced by her offering to meet me at a cafe perhaps that evening once she finished her shift around 8:00. She provided me with a contact #. I on the other hand was still in disbelief that I had just approached and even talked to this attractive blond & available female that it didn't occur to me to give her my #. It wouldn't have surprised me if she had to ask her co-worker (my friend) for both my name and number. Though my words in the exchange were few, I think I did manage to say 'hi I am !@#'. So that was day one in what would become a winding tumultuous path for the two of us friends, counterparts and lovers.
More to soon follow . . . (maybe some of substance)
