A Love Story Started By Rotten Food. Part I

Finish this sentence about your love story: “We first met because of….”  For me that sentence goes like this.

I first met my husband because of rotten food. I guess that sentence doesn’t really invoke lovey dovey feelings, but it does lead to them.  It was spring of my sophomore year of college. I was graduating with my associates and was transferring to a 4 year college to finish my bachelors degree. I was dating a adventurous, motorcycle riding “bad boy” and I was getting ready to move into the same apartment complex he lived in.  A week before I was going to move I realized I wasn’t supposed to live in that apartment complex. It was just one of those feelings that I knew I shouldn’t ignore.

I broke my contract, lost my deposit, and quickly found an empty spot in a complex of condos just down the road. I moved in without a glitch and I felt good about my choice. My roommates were great, the condo was nice. It even had a balcony I was looking forward to relaxing on in the upcoming summer months. One morning I got up and decided to enjoy my breakfast out on the balcony. I walked out with a smile on my face and took a deep breath… and started to gag. I quickly ran back inside to ask my roommates what the horrible smell was outside. They informed me that the boys in the condo above us throw all their leftover food off their balcony and let it rot beneath ours. I knew I was going to confront these disgusting boys and tell them what I thought.

On Sunday nights everyone in the condo complex would get together to socialize and end the night with prayer. I decided that would be a good time to ask around and find out if I could meet the boys that lived above us. After a few minutes of inquiry I was led to a brown haired guy standing in the middle of a group of girls.  He was wearing a navy Nike hoodie that made his eyes look especially blue.  I wanted to start off by saying something sassy but he was so darn friendly it tripped me up. And dang it! He was also cute! My plans were completely derailed.

I didn’t stamp my feet, make my point, get my way.  I tried to but “cute blue eyes” just laughed and said he was innocent. It was his roommate who had a weekly tradition on cleaning out the fridge and “returning it to the earth.” By the time our conversation was over I was wondering how I went from trying to tell off these disgusting upstairs neighbors to ending up with a date. Yes, I had a date for the next day. It wasn’t even a quick “lets go out for an ice cream” and see if maybe we like being around each other. It was a FULL day. Workout in the morning, then grab a bite to eat and why not head to the pool. What the heck? That is 3 dates in one. Man he was smooth.

Just in case anyone reading this is new to dating… working out on your first date isn’t actually ideal if you want the guy to see you at your best. Really, what was I thinking?  The next morning as I was getting ready I decided I would have to do my hair and makeup to go workout. I don’t know which is more silly, getting dolled up to go sweat or agreeing to go workout at a gym for your first date. I guess I survived the experience because we ended up together, although he admits he laughed when he saw how I ran (its true, I run like a ballerina in tennis shoes).  I’m sure cute blue eyes thought I was checking out his muscles as he pumped iron but honestly I was too self conscious of what I might be looking (or smelling) like to notice anything. Lesson learned, don’t go to the gym for a date.

The rest of the day was ideal. He took me to a sandwich shop that he raved about because “they serve their sandwiches with homemade bread and a quarter kosher dill pickle just like back in Virginia.”  We chatted with ease and I laughed at all the right moments.

Four hours, yes four hours, into our date we were at the pool and this time I did happen to notice muscles but I was good and maintained eye contact… most of the time.  As we sat in the lounge chairs and talked about life I remember thinking, “This guy talks so much I feel like I’m talking to one of my girl friends.” I didn’t mind though. It was nice that we never had one of those awkward moments where you are both franticly thinking of something to say and hoping that the other one will break the silence first. By the end of the date I knew this smiley guy from Virginia (who was obsessed with food and talked a lot) was a good guy. I knew he loved family, I knew he loved God, and I knew I needed to stay FAR away because he had “I’m looking for a wife” written all over his face. No thank you, I’m only 19 years old and have a plenty more flirting left to do.

At this point in the story hubby always takes over.  He congratulates himself for his success in getting a girl to go to the gym and pool with him on a first date then he moves on to what happened that night. Don’t worry this is a PG story and I was a PG girl.

After the pool we walked home and he headed to his condo above mine. I walked into my condo to find motorcycle riding bad boy waiting for me. You didn’t forget about him already did you? The guy I was dating and almost moved next to. I know you are thinking, “What were you doing out on a date with cute blue eyes when you were already dating someone else?”  Well, that makes the story longer. Let’s just say bad boy refused to call me his girl friend and wouldn’t hold my hand in public so I decided things weren’t serious enough to date him exclusively. Also, could working out and going to the pool REALLY be called a date?  It isn’t like we kissed or anything.

Back to the story. Cute blue eyes was upstairs reminiscing the day to his roommate. Talking about how amazing this girl was that he just spent the entire day with. He couldn’t wait to go out with her again. How convenient that she lived right below him. As they were chatting roommate opened the door to the balcony to let in some fresh air. He heard some noises from the balcony below and decided to peer down between the wooden slats to see what was going on. “Check this out! There’s a couple totally making out down there.”  Cute blue eyes jumps up to see what is going on. He looks down just as the girl from below feels someone watching her and looks up. Through the small gap in the boards of the balcony their eyes meet.  He jumps back, “DUDE! That’s the girl I was just telling you about!”

This is the end of part 1. Hubby would add that all the noises he and his roommate heard was a bunch of slurping, slobbering and lips smacking. Since this is my blog I can get the final word and say that isn’t true. It was mostly giggling, end of story.

Keep reading!!

Here’s the link to part 2