But What If You Do Hurry Love?
In these fast-food times when people resent the seconds they have to wait for a fax, when they buy their Jell-O pre-made because they don’t have the time to mix hot water and flavored gelatin, when they use Federal Express because they can’t wait the extra day for the regular mail, it’s no wonder they fall in love in a hurry. After a week or a month or so they’re making commitments people used to put off for years. Then what happens?
Frank: “I was in my late 20s and I was getting bored with the dating game. I had just gotten tenure as a high school English teacher. As a teacher in a small town, I had to watch my private life. That wasn’t difficult since none of my fellow faculty excited me. But one September a change came into my life. A newly hired, 22-year-old, recent college graduate was added to our staff. It was not long, around Thanksgiving, before we ended up chaperoning a school dance together. She was very attractive, sexy, vivacious and the kids just loved her. I was a pretty loose character myself in those days. To our students and ourselves we seemed a prefect combo.
“We started to go out after that dance. It was nearing Christmas and as I said, teachers had to be discreet. Although I was seven years older than Carol, I was more of an innocent romantic than she was. She was my movie fantasy come true! I asked her what she would say if I were to ask her to marry me. It was a spur-of-the-moment thought from out of some movie. She said she would marry me, if I were to ask her. God help us, we got married a week before Christmas! It was a surprise to our students, our colleagues, our relatives, and of course, ourselves. It seemed like something would stop us from finishing this movie, but nothing did.
“Within three months she wanted to forget the whole thing. We never had any fights, she just wanted out. It was all a big mistake. Also, she started to fall for another teacher. We split up at summer break after seven months. Our no fault divorce went very smoothly. She married the other teacher. What happened to me? Stupid romantic that I was, I withdrew from life for a while. I read books, played solitaire for two years. Three years after that first Christmas, I fell for ‘the girl next door,’ the teacher who had been teaching next door to me for six years. Around Christmas, after three weeks of dating, I told her I loved her. We got engaged in January, married in June and are still happily married 21 years later.”
Elizabeth: “I was beginning a new job as an accounting supervisor for a large insurance agency. I was to meet my supervisor, the financial director, on my first day of work. I imagined him to be a middle-aged, balding man with glasses and a round midsection. I was extremely nervous and hopeful he would be friendly and patient, not nerdy, quiet and serious. While waiting to meet him, I saw a very tall, very handsome, and very friendly-looking guy walk out of an office. I hoped he worked in the accounting department with me. A minute later he introduced himself as my supervisor. He was funny and friendly, patient and open-minded, everything I could hope for. I later learned he was single and straight. “Within a month I wanted more than a working relationship with him and felt he did, too. I had already told the girls in my department that I had met the man I was going to marry. They thought I was crazy, but I told them I was sure of it. He was everything I had ever wanted in a man but never thought I would find. Before meeting him, I was convinced I would never marry, but he changed all that.
“Our company had an unwritten policy against employees dating, but we were determined to be together. We both left the company, even though until then we were both focused on job performance. Our attraction and love couldn’t be denied. We’re getting married.”