After my shift, I staggered home. I was living with my parents at the time, as they felt sorry for me, and didn't want me to try and live on $5 an hour.
When I enter the house, I hear my dad's stereo blaring in the basement. I go downstairs and find a strange man on the couch, rocking out to Pink Floyd with my dad and sister.
Turns out this man works with my sister at a start-up company called Verdix. He had bragged about the awesomeness of his stereo, and wanted to hear my dad's, presumably to compare and contrast. My sister obliged, and invited him over.
As soon as the strange man stands up to shake my hand hello, I am almost frightened by the size of this creature--over six feet tall! I'm just shy of five feet.
"Hi, I'm Bruce," he might have said. "My dad always taught me to stand up when a lady is present."
I must have said "hello" back, but again, I was a little awestruck.
A couple of weeks after that meeting, my sister calls and asks me what I thought of Bruce, and if I would date him (provided he asked).
Sometime after THAT, Bruce calls. We spend three hours on the phone talking about Madonna, Frank Zappa, and Midnight Oil (all music acts). We finally discuss the idea of dating, and I tell him that I would love to go to a local pub, and then go to his house to listen to his stereo.
He was overjoyed! He thought he'd have to take me to an expensive place.
We date for a year, and live together another two, before getting engaged. I'll never forget the reaction I got from my dad. Granted, it was late at night (11pm) but I called to tell my parents anyway. Here's how I remember the exchange with my dad.
ME: Dad, Bruce and I are engaged.
DAD: Your mother's asleep, do you want me to wake her up?
ME: No that's okay.
DAD: Are you happy?
ME: Yes.
DAD: Okay, I'll tell your mother (click).
June 11, 1994 we get married. Much has happened since then, but I have learned a couple of things from being married 15 years:
Opposites attract, and learn to love the roller coaster.
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