A Guest Story By Renay Silva
I was helping out a receptionist at work during her lunch hour. Her desk was at the top of the elevators. Her job was to direct patients to the correct clinic. As I looked out toward the elevator this handsome man with a beautiful smile was coming up the elevator. He saw me staring at him as he walked over to me and said, “Hello”. (His voice was so deep and sexy.) He then asked, “You don’t usually work at this desk. Why are you here today?” I explained we were short staffed; I was covering the desk as the receptionist needed to go to lunch. He asked if I had eaten, I told him no. We talked a bit then he left.
I kept thinking that I knew this guy, but from where. A few minutes later there he was in front of me again. He brought me a candy bar to eat. How did he know I was a sugarholic? He had gone to the gift shop and bought me a candy bar for lunch. This to me was so romantic, so perfect. A sandwich would have not been as romantic. In the days to follow we kept running into each other. He worked there, that is why he looked familiar. We had a lot to talk about. His birthday was a few days later. When I ran into him on his birthday, I began to give him a hug and wish him a happy birthday. He stepped back (a little shy, maybe). I was taken aback, but I think a little impressed. On our first date he took me to dinner at McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds; I think I had a “Happy Meal”. He was not very talkative, but seemed very knowledgeable. I enjoyed picking his brain. Some of my favorite discussions were religious issues.
Our next date a couple of weeks later we went to eat at a nice restaurant in Belen, NM. Belen is where he lived at the time. We began meeting for lunch now and then. I worked a second job in the evening to help my daughters in college, so dinner was rare. He and I began taking country western dance lessons. We then started going dancing at Midnight Rodeo, since I LOVE to dance. Every time I looked into those eyes while we were dancing I would fall a little more for him. I loved hearing his voice, being held in his arms, and looking at him, he was so handsome.
Since he worked at the facility he had access to all the buildings and rooms. One Monday I arrived to my office and there was a bouquet of red roses with a note saying, “Don’t ever stop smiling”. I was so touched. Every Monday, while he worked there, I had fresh red roses on my desk with sweet notes.
For me, marriage was out of the question since I had just got out of a bad relationship. So we were off and on for about five years. He would ask me to marry him and I would back away. Since the day I met him, I never had a desire to date anyone else. Finally, I said yes. He would ask me to pick out rings and I would procrastinate. He finally picked out the rings himself. We had a small ceremony in the mountains next to the property I had purchased when I sold my home in Albuquerque. He built me a small cabin on the property.
My ex-husband was very well to do, but I was so lonely and unhappy that I told my mother that I would give up all the luxuries we had and live in the middle of nowhere, in a small trailer as long as I was with a man I loved and he loved me back by giving me attention, not wealth. While we were building the cabin we lived in a SMALL camp trailer on the property, out in the middle of nowhere! I found out later that my family members were betting with each other on how long I would last living out here in a small trailer with all the mud everywhere. No one won the bet, because I had got what I wished for and was a happy camper!
We have now been married 21 years. He bought the property we were married on and built a larger home. We still have lots of mud. There have been some really tough times, but I still love looking in his eyes, being in his arms, and listening to his sexy voice. To me, he is still very handsome. As a matter of fact, I have always called him handsome; not sweetheart or honey. My heart still skips a beat when my handsome walks through the door. It took me awhile, but I found my eternal partner and love of my life.
