When It’s Something Meant To Be

Did you get married in a fever? Did you wake up in a cold sweat? Have you settled into a lukewarm coma? Is it possible to keep the heat on high? Would you want to?

Here are some of your tales.

Brett: “We’ve been married for 12 years. When we met, he was in his last year of college. His acceptance to dental school was contingent upon his final grades. He only had two classes, physiology and bio chem, but since he ignored his studies to be with me, he got a “D” in one of them and couldn’t graduate. I was a freshman and I didn’t do a whole lot better. But we both eventually got our degrees and careers. I remember when he drove from Hammond, Ind., to Deerfield, Ill., just to spend 15 minutes with me on my work break. If that same kind of feeling lasted forever, we’d probably be in the poor house by now. Not that we don’t feel just as strongly, but now we have the maturity to make responsible decisions.

“I think it’s meant to work that way because the world would be in chaos if people fell in love and ignored everything else for the rest of their lives.”

Lorraine: “We met in June and married in October. We had 27 years together before he died. In all our years together, he never failed to meet me at the door after I had been out. Every Friday was our date night. We could have been on a desert island by ourselves and been happy together. Whenever we were apart, he wrote every day. That crazy-in-love feeling can last forever.”

Carol: “My story begins the summer of 1961 when I was 13 years old. I met John who was 15. I was Catholic, he was Mormon. We fell in love and continued the relationship for two years. It was gazing into each others eyes, aching to be together. Never sex, because I knew I would go to hell if that ever came about. So we kissed passionately and talked about marriage and family. But the pressures from my parents were unbearable and early in my sophomore year, I buckled under and began dating a Catholic man who was a friend of the family. We married shortly after high school, had two children, and 11 years later, divorced.

“I would see John over the years. He, too, married and had two kids and got divorced. My heart would race and I would feel flushed every time I was around him. I remarried 10 months after my first marriage ended. He remarried after his divorce, too. In 1993, I was visiting his Mom. He called not knowing I was there and his mother handed me the phone. Again my heart raced and I felt flushed. He had moved away, but he was coming to visit his mother. He asked if he could take my husband and me to supper. I said I had one problem, I didn’t have a husband. We had recently separated. He said that was too bad, his second marriage also had ended. He said he would like to see me when he was in town.

“When we saw each other, he said I looked just like I did when I was 16. Was he blind? I weighed 68 pounds more. We spent the days sightseeing and having a wonderful time. When he returned home, he called every night for two months. Then he said it was cheaper to come and stay for a month so we could get to know each other.

“When we were finally together, it was like skyrockets and bells. We’ve been seeing each other now for six months and when he calls, his voice makes my heart race. I’m at home when I’m in his arms. His big question is why I picked my first husband over him.

“I don’t know. I only know that he’s back in my life now and I’m thankful. And I’ve lost 30 pounds since we’ve started seeing each other.”