Sunday Story Time: Skunky visits Idaho...

Well...it's about time that I got back to telling the story of Skunky and I, huh? Way to keep you waiting for like three years! ( Bad blogger, I know!!) You know how it is...life gets nuts, and then you lose your rhythm! Lame excuse I know...but it's all I got! :)

I honestly wish I had Skunky around right now to help me with this part, because this is where my memory gets really fuzzy! Between this trip, and when he went into the Navy ( which was about a two year span) there is only one other memory that I have a vivid recollection of. After this trip I had really made up my mind that Skunky was not the one for me, and so I focused my mind elsewhere. He had lots of stuff go on in his life, and he talks about a lot of stuff that happened to him while I was off pretending he didn't exist, and I find that I get jealous of those memories, and sad that I had chosen to not be a part of them. Irrational I know...but I'm a girl, and that's what we do best!

I don't remember exactly how it happened. I really didn't think that he would come out and visit me. But in the midst of all of that frequent talking, and my increasing realization that I was going to need to make a tough decision, and possibly break his heart, the tickets were bought and he was flying out to see me on the week between our birthdays. ( I am 356 days older then Skunky! He turned 28 this last Monday! Can anyone guess when I will be turning 29?)

The sick and twisted part of this story, was that at the time I was...kind of involved with this guy I had met through one of my roommates. That relationship was....twisted...on even the best of days! To complicate things though, the school I went to did not have co-ed dorms. We were separated by gender, and I couldn't have a male friend live in my apartment for a week. So guess where he stayed....yes, on my quasi-boyfriend's couch!! You want to know just how "damned to hell" I really am? I would hang out with Skunky during the day, and after he would be safely tucked into my friends apartment, my boyfriend would sneak up to his bedroom and call me and we would talk about my day with Skunky. And of course I would complain about what a pickle I was in with him. Oh my gosh...even sitting here writing this, I can feel myself blushing with shame....

I remember that I picked Skunky up from the airport, and we went to go see " The Phantom Of The Opera" in the theaters. That's my favorite musical, and of course Skunky knew this, so he waited to go to see it with me! We had a little bit of time before the movie started so....true to Skunky's character of not putting things off too long, he busted out this note to me in the parking lot of the theater. It explained everything that he felt about me...that he loved me really,  even though he knew I didn't feel the same way. I read it right there, with him sitting in the car with me, and I remember that the note made me angry. I was mad at him for admitting his feelings so bluntly, and on the very first day of his trip!! Now I couldn't just pretend I wasn't aware of his feelings and the whole vacation was going to be ruined! I told him as much too. Looking back on it now, it's interesting to me that even back then, I've always been brutally honest ( aka: dramatic!) with him in an argument. I've wondered since we've been married, where he has learned to be so patient with me when I am upset....and it occurs to me now that he's been sparing with me our entire relationship!! After almost 7 years of putting up with my angry rants...yeah, I bet he's learned how to deal with me when I'm angry. That man...he really should be sainted!!

My anger usual does fade quickly, and I know he calmed me down enough that we could go watch the movie and have a good time. The rest of the week he followed me around to my classes, met my roommates and school friends. I had work as well, and there was one day that I was going in for a shift, and I felt bad about leaving him for the evening, but he said that he was just gonna hang out at the apartment. Well...I believed him, until he showed up at my work!!! He had walked from the apartment to Wal-Mart....about 4 miles!...to come see me. I was upset at him again....I mean first of all, March in Idaho is still cold and snowy! And then to be just randomly walking around town and show up at my work, with no one knowing who he is, I even doubt the amount of people in New Hampshire that knew he had taken a trip out to see me...just, scared me. And made me mad...no shocker there!

The last vivid memory I have is of going to a school dance with him. They had, every Wednesday night, a country-western themed dance ( it is Idaho, people!) and me and one of my roommates, a friend from work, and Skunky all decided to go together. Poor Skunky is not the best dancer in the world, but he sure does try, and he was really enthusiastic about going to this one! I admit...I tried to pawn him off onto my roommate more then once! And when I couldn't do that, I stood with him on the outskirts of the room, watching everyone else dance, praying that he wouldn't make me dance and...Lord forbid...make me actually have to have physical contact with him!

Man, does this not sound like a page straight out of the "12-year-old Girl's Handbook For Dealing with Guys"? It's almost embarrassing telling you all this!

I do have one memento of that trip...a picture that was taken at that dance:

I wish I could find the larger version of this picture...I have it framed in a box somewhere. This is the one I keep in my wallet...lol... to remind me how far Skunky and I have come. Half of the picture is cut off obviously...it's my two friends from school. They're all cozy, messing around with the props they gave us in the picture. But....I don't know if you notice it, because I was surprisingly able to put on a sincere smile when the photo was shot, but the only thoughts going through my head were " How much distance can I put between me and Skunky without it looking really obvious in the picture?" I swear....at the time it felt like the Gulf of Mexico was between me and Skunky, but looking at the picture now, it looks like I was just placed on the other side of that post so you could see me better. Ironic, huh? :)

Well...that was really the last event of that trip. I think Skunky tried to broach the " I love you" conversation on the way to taking him to the airport, but I wouldn't let him, and we parted on what I think were amiable terms. Our contact was much less after that trip....

Until that is, the holiday season rolled around, and I was homesick...broke... and wanted to see my family. Enter Skunky to the rescue. Who knew we were about to have our first ( and only until after we got married) phone slamming, screaming at each other, fight??

Until next Sunday!