Love + Sex

First off - why are we not-so-average? 1.  Well we've been married for 4 years, and have no children, and let me tell you, this is a rarity in the military world!!  2. My husband has been stationed in the same place since 2001.  Yes he has deployed, but always comes right back. 

Ok, now I can get on with our story...

My husband and I met on my first day of high school, his sophmore year, 1997/1998.  Technically we knew of each other in middle school, but both changed so much during the year apart when he started high school, we didn't even realize that we knew each other in middle school.  I walked into the band room, full of 300+ kids (our band had 311 members who participated in marching band), and realized that I just might not fit in there.  I was your typical good kid, and the room was full of your typical rule breaking bad kids.  I was scared more walking in that room than of actually starting high school.  Then out of no where, I spotted Richard up on the risers.  That was it, I knew that no matter how little I fit in with everyone else, I was sticking it out, just so I could be near him.  I have to admit, I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight. 

Neither one of us had the guts to admit we liked each other, and dated other people over the years.  But were always very good friends.  There were a few times when we almost started something, but then chickened out for some reason or another.  One night coming back from a band trip that was about 2 hours away, we were sitting together on the bus, as we always did, and he out of the blue started holding my hand, and gently caressing my knee (very innocently, but very sweetly).  We leaned forward and placed our heads on the seat in front of us, and kinda just stared at each other, talking with our eyes, the entire ride home.  I just knew he was going to ask me out the next day at school, I was soo unbelievably nervous.  The next day came and went, with out so much as a mention of what had gone on just 2 nights before.  I was crushed.  But I managed to let it go, I knew that I would rather have him as a friend than nothing at all. 

Everyone always thought we were dating, but we weren't.  He used to walk me to most of my classes, and was late to most of his b/c he did so.  I remember giving him as many hints that I liked him as possible, such as linking my arm with his when he was walking with me, doing that silly flirtatious laugh teenage girls have perfected.... Now I realize it's a good thing we waited. 

At the end of my sophmore year I found out I was transferring schools.  Our school was beyond over crowded, it was designed for 1200 students, but we had over 2500 enrolled.  We even had an old elementary school converted into the Freshman Academy that year, just to make it through the year it was taking to build the new school.  The new school was taking the overflow from our school and one other.  I was just barely zoned for the new school.  I was sad to be leaving him, as most of my other friends were going with me to the knew school, he was the one I was leaving behind.  I came to terms with the fact that we probably never would be, as this was going to be his senior year and all. 

My junior year at the new school started, about a month into it I began dating someone.  Then one day out of the blue, Richard and a few others from the old band stopped by to see those of us who'd left.  I couldn't take my eyes off him, even though my current boyfriend was in the room.  I got the butterflies and jitters all over again just catching a glimpse of him.  A couple days later Richard called me for the first time, but I was on the phone with my boyfriend, and I had to tell him that I was dating someone.  I just wanted to hit myself for not waiting.  But I also loved the new guy very much, I was torn.  I decided to see where the relationship would go.  I had been waiting for Richard on and off for 2 years, this was my time to be happy, since I knew even if I ended it with the new guy, Richard still might not actually ask me out.  That relationship lasted 6 months before we parted ways, realizing we were better off friends.  I saw Richard a couple times here and there as our bands passed in different events here and there, but he didn't call me again till the middle of July 2000.  At that point he told me he was leaving for the marine corps the next morning and wanted to exchange addresses and all before he left.  He wanted to know if I would meet him somewhere (technically I guess he was finally asking me out on a date).  Unfortunately my parents were out of town, so I couldn't go out with him, they had a rule, they had to meet a guy before I could go anywhere with him.  So I had him drop by the house, and I gave him my addresses and all really quick.  He didn't know what his was going to be, so he just gave me his senior pictures (I still have them put away btw).

I just knew that I probably wouldn't ever hear from him again... then one day in August I got a letter from him in bootcamp.  I just about died when that letter came in the mail.  I immediately wrote him back, but didn't get another letter from him during boot camp.  For those of you who don't know, they barely have the time to write their moms during boot camp, so the fact that he took 5 minutes to write me was a HUGE deal!.  Then before I knew it my senior year was in full swing.  I started dating someone else, but that one was very short lived, but long enough that my cousin who had moved in with us temporarily knew I'd had a boyfriend.  Richard stopped by one day to ask me to go to the movies with him.  My cousin told him that I was out with my boyfriend.... not true.... I was at a church event that my ex happened to be at.  But needless to say, Richard was devastated.  He was just miserable thinking that yet again, I'd moved on and he'd lost his chance to be with me.  He went to the movie that night alone... and doesn't remember a darn thing that happened in it, he was in such a daze.  When I got home my cousin told me that some guy had stopped by but she didn't even bother to get his name or anything... pretty rude for a 30something year old if you ask me.  She didn't even get his color truck right... luckily he was the only blonde I knew who drove a truck and knew where I lived.  But I had no way of getting a hold of him (with his mother, girls were not to call the house, she would just go crazy embarrassing the girl and richard....) and he wasn't in boot camp anymore, so that addy was bad.  So I just had to wait and hope. 

He finished his recruiters assistance and mct training in NC, and was being sent to Pensacola, FL for another school.  He arrived there on Thanksiving day, with no one he knew around him, and didn't know where anything was.  He had McDonalds for dinner that day :(  He also was so homesick that he picked up the phone and called me.  However he only had the number to my private line, which only rang in my bedroom, and I was of course in the kitchen helping to finish up Thanksgiving dinner.  By the time I heard the phone ringing the answering machine had picked up and I couldn't get the stupid phone to pick up.  He left me the sweetest message though, saying how he was lonely and missed me....

Then Dec 28 2000 he called me again, to go see a movie with him.  Once again my parents were out of town.  So I couldn't go out with him, but I secretly invited him over to the house.  I had to be there to answer the phone when my parents called.  We sat down on my couch to watch Dogma.  We were both beyond nervous and jittery.  Slowly we started moving closer and closer to each other.  Next thing I knew I was making out with him and before I knew it, my clothes were off.  Normally things wouldn't have moved that quickly for me at that time, but I'd been in love with him for 4 years already.  However we didn't go all the way that night... but oh so very close.  Once we stopped and then finshed watching the movie and still snuggling, I came so close to asking him what's going on here, but didn't.  I chickend out.  I know I know.. he'd just seen me naked, yet I couldn't ask him what was happening.  I so wanted him to ask me to be his girlfriend that night... but he chickened out as well.  We made plans to get together for new years.... He finally gave me his phone number and I called him the 30th to finalize plans for new years.... and he told me he couldn't do anything with me, that his family was having a big deal with the little league. 

Well then I found out that some other girl was there and she asked him out that night.  ARGH!! I was seriously devastated and just in WTF mode!!!!  He continued calling me once a week though.  I finally got up the courage to ask him WTF basically.  He told me he was so confused and didn't know what to think.  He found out the girl was doing nothing but cheating on him back home, so he ended it with her.  But I wasn't just sitting around waiting on him to call me.  I figured if it was meant to be, it would be.  I continued on enjoying my senior year... started dating a guy... ended it... I was getting all ready to start college in the fall. 

He told me that he was doing a lot of thinking and was making a decision about where he wanted "us" to go, and that he would call me later that week to tell me what he'd decided.  Well that happened to be the weekend of one of my plays.  So we played phone tag all weekend.  Sunday night I decided I wasn't stopping till I got through to him.  The barracks there in Pensacola only had a few lines, so they were frequently busy of the evenings.  Everyone had their own ext.... but only a certain number of available lines.  I called and called and called.  I finally got through at 5 till 11.  Normally I had to be off the phone by 11 on school nights, but my mom agreed to give me an extra few minutes since it had taken me so long to get through to him.  So at appx 11 pm on April 29, 2001 Richard asked me to be his girlfriend.  Of course he was still in Pensacola, FL and I was still in Augusta, GA

One month later he was in town for memorial weekend, and we were supposed to have our first date.  He stopped by the house to say hi on his way to his parents house.  The next night, I got all dressed up for our date.  He was to arrive at 8 to pick me up.  8 came and went... no phone call.  I sat on the couch just fuming, almost in tears by the time 8:30 came and went with no phone call.  9 came, I got up and stormed to my bedroom and changed into my PJ's.  I was bawling my eyes out by this time.  10 came and went.. still nothing.  11 showed up, and finally he knocked on the door.  My dad answered the door, and apparently Richard was almost in tears and explained how something went wrong with his truck and he'd been in Thompson at his uncles when they started to fix it.  It took longer than expected, and he'd left my number in his suitcase at his parents house.  So my dad came to get me, and I went out on the porch to talk to him.  I was ready to end it, till I saw him... and my heart just melted.  We sat on the front porch talking till 4 am....

The next installation.... he tells me he loves me!!!