How Did You Meet Your Honey?

Oh, sweet! I ran into this topic when I linked from Rocks in my Dryer to A Chelsea Morning.

DH and I have been married for decades, so I haven't gotten to tell this story in a very long time. But it's a fun story! ~~(Although I guess it would be reasonable to say that everyone thinks the story of how they met their honey is a wonderful story.) And this is long; you may want to go get a snack.

We were in college. It was my sophomore year. I had been in one of those stormy, up-and-down traumatic relationships since September with an outdoorsy, macho guy. Who, the first time he told me he "loved" me, then clarified by saying, "after my horse, my truck and my way-of-life". (I am not making this up.)

Fast forward to April and Dr Nichols' "History of the New South" class. Monday. Tiny room, lots of people, chairs squished real close together. My third class in a row. Tired of sitting. I cross and uncross and cross my legs trying to get comfortable. Then I swing my leg too wide and kick the guy in front of me right square in the bum. I lift him out of his chair. He screams. Really. Every head in the room turns, including the professor who stops talking to see what in the world is going on in the back of his tiny classroom. Red-faced, I mumble an apology. With a huge grin, the cute guy tells me sternly, "Don't kick me! I'm goosy!" Everyone roars with laughter. When class dismisses, I watch him leave the room with my footprint clearly visible on his white jeans.

Tuesday when I go to my geology lecture class, who do I see in the back of the room but the cute guy! He grins and waves me up to sit by him. I hear nothing that the professor says the entire hour because the cute guy is drawing pictures of little moon men all over my notebook.

Wednesday, back to History class. As I squeeze into the very tiny space behind the cute guy, he turns and tells me, "I would've call you last night, but I don't know your name or your phone number." I'm cool and nonchalant and nearly fall out of my chair into his lap telling him who I am and what my number is. Then, right there, he asks me out for Friday night.

In 2 1/2 seconds, what flashes through my mind is that Machoboy and I might already have plans. As in, if he doesn't go hunting over the weekend, we'll go out. I decide to take the chance and say very sweetly, "Love to!"

Thursday, Machoboy calls. He's decided not to go hunting. What would I like to do on Friday night? Uh....uh....I have plans. Long silence. He wants to know, do I have a date?! Now, my long silence. Yes, I do. Break it, he says. No, says I. We have a BIG fight.

Friday, I don't get out of bed. I skip all my classes and lay quivering under the covers like a big weenie. Late in the afternoon, my suitemate drags me out of bed. She brings me chicken noodle soup and tells me I have to go out with Cute Guy. She's been hanging out all year with a bunch of his friends and he's a really nice guy and I will be eternally sorry if I don't go out with him. So I eat my soup and get dressed and try to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

Then the girl down the hall, whose boyfriend lives down the hall from Machoboy, comes running in to tell me that her boyfriend has been talking to MB. He's not mad, he's just so hurt. He thought we "loved" each other, how could I be so heartless. I run straight to the bathroom and throw up my chicken noodle soup.

Now I'm really a mess. How can I go out if I'm throwing up? My suitemate tells me, just don't eat! You already have an empty stomach so there shouldn't be a problem. We fall down laughing. And I go.

Six months later , Cute Guy and I are engaged. 10 months after that, we are married. Several years later , I tell him about what happened the week of our first date. And I asked him, "If I had broken our date, would you have asked me out again?" His reply, "Absolutely not. I was going through a bad time with one girl after another just jerking me around. If you'd bailed on me that night, I would've spent the evening getting drunk, and you never would've heard from me again."

Oh my goodness. I didn't know the Lord then and neither did my suitemate, but I'm so thankful that He used her to shove me out the door. And into the love of a lifetime.