Last night Ms. stu and I had a pleasant evening in the 7th Street Entry watching Bettie Serveert from The Netherlands. Or maybe it’s Holland. Come to think of it, they might actually be Dutch. Anyway, these Amsterdamians put on another great show, regardless of where they’re from.
Love is funny thing. My relationship with Ms. stu doesn’t seem like it could possibly be much better. Sure there are circumstantial issues. We’re both in grad school and both working multiple jobs and this creates some additional stress which can manifest itself in unfortunate ways, but for the most part we’re perfect. Perfect.
We got off to a somewhat inauspicious start lo those many years ago in college. It was Autumn and I had just transferred to my new college and was working at a gas station across the street from campus. For some odd reason I had this girl who lived on my dorm floor braid up my hair is a goofy dread lock look. I kind of looked like a skinny, white Coolio. Despite this crazy hairdo I caught the eye of some female customer at the gas station, who happened to be Erin’s friend from high school and was attending a different school. She was on her way to visit Erin and had to tell her about the really cute guy working at the gas station with the braided hair. (Damn, I was cute!) Erin informed her that I lived just down the hall and agreed to introduce us. I couldn’t have been less interested. Truth be told I was probably still in love with my old girlfriend who broke my heart that summer. Plus I was chasing after another girl in my drama class. I remember sitting in the cafeteria with her and be properly sullen, jaded and mysterious about myself.
Anyway, so I wasn’t into Ms. stu. But in January we ended up hanging out among a group of friends and this time I really fell for her. I asked her out and on our first date we went to Bryant-Lake Bowl to see a play with one of my classmates in it. I think it was called "Shootout At the S&M Ranch." I don’t believe it was ever sent to Broadway (sadly, I think I also went because I had a small crush on the girl who wrote the play). After the performance we ended up making stir fry at her house and watched Help on the VCR. I ended up spending the night (no, nothing like that!). At about 5am the next morning the phone rang at her house. It was her mother and her father had just been rushed to the hospital after suffering from a minor stroke. He had had a major stroke less than a year before and his health was quite fragile. She offered to drive me back to my dorm on the way to the hospital, but for some reason I insisted on accompanying her to the hospital. So that morning I met who would be my future in-laws in the hospital waiting room. I was just some schmoe to them, but somehow I impressed them. I did a crossword puzzle with her little brother, I talked to her mom, and I watched Ms. stu cry over her father. This doesn’t seem like a typical first date, but looking back it seems perfect.
Happy Valentine’s Day Ms. stu!
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