How I Met My Husband

I can't sleep tonight. I usually don't have a problem with this. The last two weeks have been an exception. I don't know if it is the heat or what...Anyways...Sassy inspired me to share the story of how Randy and I met.

I had been single for about two years after a sad break up with, who I just knew was Mr. Right. I was 29 years old. I was going college, working, and didn't have a lot of time for dating. Now that I look back, I guess I was working at becoming the person I wanted to be. Yeah sure, I met some men. None of which interested me in the least; not even a spark.

I was living in a basement apartment I rented from a wonderful lady. She was like a second mother to me. Marcia was a beautician. Located right next to my apartment was her shop. I was always complaining, “When am I going to meet a good man. Are there even any out there? I want children. When was the last time I had sex?” (Maybe I should have left the last comment out...Naaahhh).

A woman, Joyce (my future mother-in-law), would come to get her hair done occasionally. She brought her grandson (Devin) a couple of times. He was the cutest little, fat, bald headed baby you ever saw. Marcia would yell, “Becky, come see the baby!” I would hold Devin while she had her hair done. What a sweet and mellow child. He always had a smile on his face.

Apparently, Marcia and Joyce decided they were going to fix me up with Joyce's newly divorced son, Randy. Marcia yelled at me from her shop, “Becky, come here. I have something I want to ask you.” Joyce and Marcia made their proposition. The first thing I thought was, “This guy must be ugly and a geek if his mother is trying to fix him up.” Then Joyce whipped out a picture. There was Randy leaned up against some lockers in an Army barracks. He had the bottom of his right foot propped on the locker, with his right knee slightly protruding. What a pose. He was shirtless with his hands in the pockets of his fatigues. Lookin' fine! Mmmm, Mmm, Mmm. ( I swear, about 5 years ago, I saw that picture. Randy was just standing next to some lockers in a T-shirt and fatigues, smiling. What ever. That is not he way I remembered it.) I accepted.

My fantastically, sweet sister Lori, and her two kids, Rachel (12) and Mitch (10) were visiting. Randy came over to meet me. Marcia, me, Lori, and the kids were in Marcia's kitchen when Randy arrived. He was about 5' 9”, about 145 pounds, thin, but well per portioned. (Thin was good. I've always liked my men built for speed, not for comfort.) He had the nicest smile I've ever seen. Mitch elbowed me in the side and said, “Aunt Becky, he the one, I can feel it.”

A ready made family. Randy was 35 and Devin was 10 months old. We have been together ever since. Devin's birth mother, who I always refer to as “the incubator”, never came around. Apparently, she moved out of state. I still have never met her or heard from her. If I did, I would shake her hand and thank her.