A Monday Morning Surprise

The frigid cold winter air snaked under my full-length black wool coat as I stood by the gas pump. My day’s to-do list ran through my head: Grind the meat as soon as I get home, cook it for the chili and get that going, load the dishwasher, shower and make soap. Music poured out of the speakers overhead, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. Cars drove in and out, just as normal. In fact, it was pretty much like any other stop at this particular gas station. I thought.

Soon after I started filling my tank, I noticed a taupe minivan pull up on the other side of the pump. Pretty unremarkable. Then I caught a flash of… blue camo? Considerably more remarkable, as I live at least three hours from the coast. Underneath this uniform was… Hmmmm… What’s this? A pretty attractive 40-something man. The morning just got a bit more interesting. Then I saw a patch over his chest that read “U.S. Navy,” even more remarkable, as we don’t have any Naval bases in our state. Something about him looked vaguely familiar, as did his minivan. I peered around the gas pump to check out his license plate. Oooooh! I’d seen this guy in his van a million times before. He’s got a personalized plate, and I used to always see him – at least 3 days a week, sometimes twice a day – on this one stretch of road I’d go down. From his profile at 40 mph, I’d decided he was rather nice-looking. And now… Now I was getting to see him at a stand-still, in person, only a gas pump island separating us.

Surreptitiously, I kept going up on tiptoes, hoping for a better look at him. All too soon, my pump clicked off, signaling the end of my fill-up. I was replacing my gas cap when I heard his click off, too. With a sigh, I turned to go around my car and head home. Then his voice stopped me. “Visitor, where?” I’d forgotten I still had my visitor’s pass on my coat from when I’d taken my daughter to school. I told him where she attends, and he asked me how we like it. From there, the conversation segued into a brief discussion of interests and work, eventually culminating in an introduction and the exchange of business cards, then the possibility of setting up a play date with our kids. We had to part company, him to go to work, me to home.

I laughed all the way home, marveling at how I’d ever been able to attract the attention of such an attractive man. I mean, I was one notch more presentable than “fresh-out-of-bed,” and that notch was simply the fact that I was dressed. I wore no makeup, I had a case of bedhead going on, topped off by morning breath laced with coffee. After all, in the daily drop-off, I don’t ever actually get close to anyone. Still, the memory of Chris stayed with me all day.

It’s been a whole week – a week of text messages, emails, phone calls and face-to-face moments. We’ve talked about a little of everything and we’ve grappled with new and growing feelings that seem to be taking both of us by surprise. Thanks goodness, we don’t agree on everything, but at least we can talk about it. One thing we can agree on, though, is, we don’t want this wonderful thing to end.

I'm glad you're a part of my life, my precious Gent, and I'm quite happy being your dear Lady.