February 14th of this year it will have been 10 years since I found a crumpled up napkin on my windshield as I left the track meet headed for home to my apartment. It had been an emotionally draining week which had started with me confronting my neighbor about if we were going to start dating or not. Everybody was asking us if we were, but neither of us had really discussed it or decided and really we just teetered around the subject when we were around each other. I had finally had enough and in all honesty if he wasn't willing to try to date me "officially" than I was really wanting to move on.
I went to his apartment late one Sunday night which was not out of the ordinary. I was always over there. But this time I was on a mission. I walked in his front door and found him standing at the stove heating up some cream of celery soup. We had just recently purchased an entire case of it at the case lot sale. "I need to talk to you.," I said. He set down the spoon he was stirring his soup with and looked up at me startled. "I am tired of not knowing where I stand with you. Are we just friends? Are we dating? I don't know what to tell people when they ask." I had his full attention now. He was now starting to back further in to the kitchen as I came closer. "I don't know. I guess I will have to think about it," he said shyly. "What is there to think about? You either know if you are interested or not!" I exclaimed frustrated. "I don't know. I have some things I need to work through first. You deserve more than what I am right now. Just give me time to work through some things." He was now backed all the way in to the kitchen, face was red and he appeared pretty uncomfortable. I too was uncomfortable, heart racing, kind of dizzy. I had never approached anybody like that before, let alone somebody who I was really starting to care for. "Alright, well let me know when you figure out your life!" I left the his apartment embarrassed, feeling rejected and confused. That was not at all how I had pictured any of it going at all that night.
Throughout the entire next week I did not see him at all. This was hard to do when our apartments shared a wall. We always ran in to each other or at least passed coming and going. It wasn't until the night of February 14th did I see him next. He came to my track meet. First thing I noticed was that he had given himself a hair cut... Need I say it looked like he took his hat and cut his side burns off level with the bottom of his baseball cap. As he told me good job and good luck and see ya later I couldn't help but wonder why he had cut his sideburns off so funny? But it was nice he came to the track meet. I was a little bummed that he did not stay to walk me home or even watch the rest of the meet. I guess he still had "stuff" to work through.
I walked to my car through the snowy slush with my sister. I was frustrated with how I had performed and to top it off someone had crumpled up a napkin and left in on my windshield. I grabbed it and tossed it in the car with the rest of my things. My sister picked it up gently and said, "Amanda, someone left you a rose." "What?! Where?" She held the napkin at a different angle and I saw a pretty little rose laying on its side in her hand. It was actually kind of pretty.
We arrived home, I went inside my apartment and my roommates immediately huddled around my bedroom door. "Look on your bed!!" I looked and saw a card and a little gift. The gift was a little horse named Elmer. The card read, "This gent would like to ask a dame to be his girl. Will she take him and all his flaws?" (It was something like that... I can't remember exactly) My heart was racing, I was dizzy, he had decided that yes I was worth a shot! I was so happy about it and excited and confused. Why had he cut his sideburns so funny? I ran over to his apartment where he was waiting in the kitchen. I awkwardly ran up to him, threw my arms around him awkwardly and said yes! And then I was was distracted again by his sideburns... haha. I guess I can say the rest has been history. We have so many good stories. It has not been entirely easy the last ten years since we have been a "couple," but it has been fun. I have learned one thing for sure. Sometimes the crumpled up napkin is not what it seems. It just requires a step back and a different angle and a whole new perspective is given. That has been a constant theme in our now eternal marriage and I am forever grateful for him and the crumpled up napkin!
