The Future Looked Mighty Bright

Welcome back to what is most definitely going to be the LONGETST.SOS.EVER. I'm not lying, not even a little bit. This is the saga to end all saga's and it's going to take FOR.EV.ER.

Kisses and hugs to Thalia's Child for hosting this week. She's an angel. If you don't know what Soap Opera Sunday is or are playing along for the first time, the rules are hither at darling Brillig's site.

So, if you're just tuning in, you can go here then here. If you don't give a crap about my stupid former love life and wish I would write something more meaningful and less banal, you can go here. (just kidding. hahahahahaha I love Cartman)

Ahem. Moving on.

So, after our first glorious kiss, Richard and I spent the rest of the night/morning half asleep, half kissing and snuggling. He was so respectful and kind and kept saying the sweetest things. (Those of you who know this story already stop snickering and/or throwing up kthanks.) I left the apartment at about 6 AM and drove home, if you can call it that. I sort of floated home. I'd never met anyone like this guy. He was attractive, sweet, hilarious, complimentary, he had opened all my doors the evening before . . . the list of what I already knew I loved about him went on and on. And on.

I was finally over Sam and I was convinced I had just met my future husband. I woke my Mom up the second I got home and climbed in bed with her and we giggled and talked about this amazing new guy in my life, both relieved that the dark, lonely cloud that had been hanging over my head was gone.

The very next night, he decided he had to see me and drove down in a blizzard (he lived about 45 minutes north of my hometown) to take me out on our first "alone" date. We saw Monster's Inc. - HIS choice! I love Disney movies and was dying to see it and HE chose it. This guy seemed to become more perfect every second I spent with him. After the movie, we went to my house and he sat and talked with my whole family for almost two hours. He talked to my brothers about basketball and football, with my Mom about her work, to my Step-dad about his life . . . it was this awesome, easy, comfortable evening. He seemed to fit right in. He wasn't shy about being affectionate with me, he pulled me down on his lap and rubbed my back and played with my hair the whole time. I really though I'd died and gone to heaven. He was hot and sweet and perfect AND got along with my family?!?!

From that day on, Richard and I talked every day - usually three or four times a day. If I ever couldn't answer my phone, he'd leave a funny message, singing a goofy Christmas song or the Cougar Fight Song or something hilarious like that. I saved some of those messages for months because they were so funny. We talked so much about our lives and families and our goals for the future. Everything seemed to come easily for the two of us. Despite having almost nothing in common, socially, we never ran out of things to talk and laugh about.

We saw each other once again that week, this time up at his house, and we had a really deep discussion about where and how we wanted our new relationship to go. We discussed in depth how neither one of us wanted the relationship to be physically based, so we agreed to try to not kiss anymore, just to make sure that we were being level-headed about it. He told me he had been trying to become active in our church again, after a long time of not going to church at all, and that he didn't want to mess that up, and that he also really, really liked me and wanted to be respectful, something he shared he'd had trouble with in the past. I was floored. He seemed exactly the opposite of what I had thought he was and, despite the newness of our relationship, I was DONE. I was madly in love with him.

On Thanksgiving night, which was five days after we had met, Richard called me very late. He sounded really upset and . . . different. He didn't sound like himself. He was very quiet and serious and there were several long, awkward pauses in our conversation, which was something that had never happened before. I didn't want to pry, but finally I said "Richard, what is wrong with you? Are you ok? You seem . . . different and it's freaking me out."

Another long pause ensued and finally he answered quietly, "Kate, there's something I have to tell you and I don't think you're going to like it. In fact, I don't blame you one bit if you hate me and never want to see me again."