Our Love Story

Ok, so here it is. Part of a story written to chronicle the story of how I met my husband and the long road we followed to love.

For a long time, I was a complete screw-up both in love and in life. I floundered from job to job and from relationship to relationship, all the while being subjected to the tongue lashings my father would give me for “not doing anything with my life”. In the late 80’s when Twisted Sister’s video for “We’re Not Gonna Take It” came out, I thought they had a hidden camera in my house because that’s what my life was like for so long. Then several years later, being in my twenties and not having a clear vision of what I wanted to do with my life made me feel like a failure. Well one day, my father called me at my current job, (working the counter at Merle Norman Cosmetics) and he told me there was an opportunity for me at his company and I needed to come down and apply for it as soon as possible. At that time, even though I had a job, my parents were supporting me financially so I didn’t feel like I had much choice. The next day I applied and interviewed for a job as a receptionist at his company. Surprise, surprise, I got the job.

While there may be many benefits to being the daughter of the President of the company, there were plenty of drawbacks as well. People didn’t trust me. People there assumed I was going to be a spoiled brat who mistreated her co-workers. My boss, I later found out, perpetuated all those things but eventually I was able to break out of those stereotypes and people began to like me. It was hard and required a lot of ridiculous antics on my part but it worked and I made many friends. There was one person in particular that I wanted to like me, very much. His name was Sean.

Sean was cute. He was quiet and kept to himself. He was mysterious. Always there early, working late. No one knew much about him outside the office but I was determined to break down the wall of mystery that surrounded him. Not very easy, actually. I invited him to the movies. No go. Invited him out to group lunches. No to that, too. It was frustrating and eventually I gave up. It sucked because he was cute and I knew he would like me if he would just give me a chance. Then I found out that Sean was too professional to date anyone he worked with so I really gave up. At least he wasn’t gay, I could still dream about something happening between us.

After I had been working there for about a year, I came in to the office and received some earth-shattering news. I had a different job by this time and a new girl had taken my place as receptionist and she was a real dingbat. Wilma. (name changed to protect ME) Eeeew. Her name gives me the chills to this day. Well, she was late, as usual so I was sitting at the front desk waiting for her to get there. One of my co-workers approached me and said, “Did you hear about Wilma?” I must have looked confused because she continued, “Sean is dating Wilma!”

Oh man! How I laughed out loud at that! Wilma?? Sean would never date Wilma. Sure, she was cute but she was childish beyond all reckoning, and empty-headed to boot. I said so and my friend just looked at me sympathetically and said, “well ask her when she gets here then.”

Oh god, my stomach hurt. My Sean? Dating HER? Ugh. One of the worst days of my life. When Sean arrived and walked past me to get to his office, I felt like bursting into tears. My sister was friends with Wilma so I would ask her when she got to work if that dreadful rumor were true. Well of course she confirmed my worst fears and my life was ruined…for the time being. See, what Sean didn’t know was Wilma was a straight-up fruitcake and there was no way he was going to keep dating her. Not if I had anything to say about it.

Okay, okay I didn’t break them up. Well, not really anyway. It was going to happen with or without my help because that girl was a crazy mess. She was so controlling of Sean. He couldn’t hang out with his old friends, his family. She was cutting him off from the outside world completely and he was letting her. All this was happening around the time that the internet became available to the public and Sean, like many people, spent some time looking at some rather risque things on his computer. We all did it. You know you did, too. All of us girls would sit upstairs in my office and see what was the most outrageous thing we could find and we found some doozies, let me tell ya! There was this one site, “Dan’s Gallery of the Grotesque” and it was a major gross out. But I digress. When Wilma found out that Sean was doing it, she flipped and forbade him from ever doing it again. Well, all you moms out there know what happens when you do that, it becomes even more alluring and he didn’t stop.

I will never forget the last night of Sean and Wilma’s relationship. See, up to this point, Wilma and I had gotten friendly. Not because I had any ulterior motives, but my sister and I were living together and my sister was Wilma’s friend. As a result all three of us spent quite a bit of time together. Wilma and Sean were constantly arguing and I, being a friend would sit and listen. I did not give advice, that would be wrong, but I did listen so I had the inside track on their relationship. Wilma was over at the condo that Beth, my sis, and I shared. Sean was working and Beth and Wilma were going to go surprise him. Well, surprise him they did. He was looking at the aforementioned risque photos and Wilma was pissed! Pissed to the highest level of pisstivity, as one of my favorite comedians used to say. She was in our condo ranting and raving, she was going to break up with him because she couldn’t take it anymore! Oh, how my heart leapt with joy!! He was going to be free!! In my mind, I tuned out Wilma’s shrill ranting and began thinking about how in the world I was going to get Sean interested in me. I didn’t have any idea but come Hell or high water he was going to like me. Yes…he was going to like me indeed.

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Come back tomorrow (Saturday) for part two!