Roller Coaster... Continued

So I kept in touch with A through email and instant messenger (remember that thing?!?  I guess that shows my age!)  I decided to return home one weekend in order to work (a girl needs her beer money), but I also hoped to see A.  We decided we’d go out and grab dinner… just the two of us.  A sorta date without labeling it as such.  Well, I ended up getting sick and being on antibiotics.  I was not feeling well at all, but I didn’t want to miss out on the date with A.  I met him at TGI Fridays (classy, no?) and neither one of us had much to say.  After some awkward conversation, A mentioned that he wanted to head out to watch a Cubs game.  As in he wanted to head out by himself… I wasn’t invited.  He didn’t say that, but I was pretty sure that’s what he meant.  The date was an epic failure.  Strike 1.  Maybe we were just meant to be friends?

A and I kept in touch after that weekend, but we didn’t talk as much as we used to.  At one point, he mentioned he had something for me.  I got butterflies!!  What could it be?  Flowers?  Chocolates?  A letter declaring his love for me?!?  Would it make up for our horrible first date?  I kept asking him to mail it to me since I wasn’t planning on coming home soon.  FINALLY, he said he’d mail it.  The “package” arrived and it was… wait for it… a newspaper photo of my favorite baseball player.  Strike 2.

I don’t think I talked to A much after that… haha.  But I don’t give up easily.  I graduated from college (woohoo) and moved back home.  During that time, I learned that one of my theme park coworkers was moving to Texas.  I didn’t know her very well and didn’t really care, but a few friends mentioned that they were going to stop by the theme park to wish her well.  They asked if I’d like to come along.  I thought A might be there, so I decided to go and look extra cute – you know, to show A what he was missing out on.  A was in fact there and I played it cool, only mumbling a polite hello to him.  Well, my plan worked because I received a text message from A a short time later asking if I wanted to grab lunch.  This time, we had a great date.  There was no awkwardness whatsoever.  We talked and talked.  Good thing because had he gotten a strike 3, he would’ve been out. ;)  Soon after we were officially dating and two years later, A proposed.  9+ years after becoming a couple, we’re still going strong.

Roller Coaster... Of Love...

A and I met during the summer of 2003.  We both worked at a local theme park.  A had recently graduated from college and the theme park management job served as a source of income until he figured out what he really wanted to do.  I was working there to earn some cash before heading back to college to complete my final semester.  Even more pathetic, we met in a store called Totally Tweety.  I know what you’re thinking… it doesn’t get more romantic than that!  A introduced himself and informed me when the morning meeting would take place that day.

As the summer progressed, A pursued “parade girl” and “games chick” while I went on first dates with “ring guy” and possibly a few others that I have blocked from memory.  I got to know A as a friend and enjoyed spending time with him.  We often teased each other about our colleges and argued over which one was better/more fun/superior (mine obviously).  I was happy when he unexpectedly popped into a store I was working in and enjoyed going to after work outings he also attended.  A mutual friend suggested I date A and I laughed it off.  A was my boss and I was heading back to school soon.  Later in the summer I told my friend, Katie, about my cute boss.  I suggested she date him because they both loved the Simpsons (a show I despise).  I introduced her to A and quickly realized that I didn’t want her to date him because I actually had feelings for him.  I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize that.  Luckily Katie noticed our chemistry and mentioned she thought that A was interested in me.  Apparently A lit up when he saw me as I approached to introduce him to Katie.  I’m not sure if that was actually true, but I’d like to think it was.  Unbeknownst to me, a friend of A’s had wanted to ask me out.  A told him that he was interested in me and working on getting to know me.  Basically, he told his friend to back off. ;)  After all that, you’d think we’d be dating by summer’s end, but no…. I headed back to school single and A remained at lame Midwestern theme park.  To be continued…