Wednesday, May 11, 2011

MAY 8, 2010

The plan was to pick up my daughter around 2pm.  My phone rang at 12:57pm with the caller-id showing the caller was the home where she was.  I answered expecting my daughter on the other end.  It wasn't.  I had a five minute phone call with the father.  Just confirming I'd be over to pick her up.  He was willing to bring her home, but I politely declined and said I'd be there in an hour.  I'm not sure why that took five minutes... but I just confirmed on my cell phone bill it was a five minute call.  I think there was a desire to linger on the phone from both our perspectives.

I was timely.  2pm I was ringing their door bell.  The 8 year old brother answered the door, invited me in, told me the girls were upstairs and then left.  It is a large home.... built in the 1800's. The kind that seems to go on and on from room to room.  I stood there waiting, expecting that the girls would be down.  No one came.  I hollered out a "hello".  No one answered.  I walked in one room from the den to the kitchen.  I hollered again.  No one answered.  I stood there waiting and glanced down at the papers on his kitchen island.  There was a pamphlet listing the movies that were playing at the Opera House in town.  "Date Night" was scheduled to show that night and the upcoming Tuesday.  I read the description.  Sounded funny.  Then I continued to stand there... waiting.  I hollered out again.  No answer.  Awkward.  Should I go to my car and try calling them?  I chose to wait a little longer.  The father... "R" walked in.  It was obvious he was fresh from the shower.  Clean shave, wet hair combed back, Saturday looking jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt.

He seemed surprised that I was standing in his kitchen when he walked in.  I told him I was waiting for my daughter.  He asked if anyone had gone to get them.  I reported the details that I knew and he invited me upstairs to their third floor to see the space the girls had been playing in.  I asked my daughter to get her things together and R and I returned to the kitchen to wait for her.  In an effort to make small talk during our wait I asked if he had seen the movie "Date Night" as I pointed at the pamphlet.  He had not... we continued with some other talk and then he started to apologize.  He didn't have to get far and I knew very well where this was headed... he must have found out I was widowed.  I knew the tone.  He only got a few words with an apologetic tone out before the girls came bounding in and our privacy was no more.  We continued to talk for a bit and he offered to show me some of the other fun spaces the house had to offer.  We went to his barn with the girls in tow.  After a short tour the girls found themselves playing on the lawn and he and I found ourselves with some privacy to talk.  As I expected he expressed sympathy for my loss... we talked for almost an hour.  I figured if he was comfortable discussing my marital status... he could discuss his as well.  So we did.

I left there that day completely intrigued with this man.  I felt a huge amount of respect for him and wanted to know more.  His divorce sounded identical to what my best friend was in the process of going through.  She came over that evening and I told her about "R".  I told her I would need to fix the two of them up once her divorce was final.  I could feel how good this guy was.  She... wanted photos.  I pulled out my best 'google stalking' abilities but was having trouble finding a photo.  Gratefully we live in a small town.  He had told me where he went to church and I recognized it as the same church my girlfriend went to.  That girlfriend happened to call as we were in the process of trying to google stalk him.  I told her I was looking for a photo of him as I would like to fix him up with my other friend.  She inquired why I would do that... I should be interested.  I reminded her that I don't date.  I am done with that phase of my life.  She directed me to her facebook photo albums.
I found him.

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