The next day Linda did something I never expected. She phoned as if the night before had been a perfectly normal evening, instead of something out of the Three Stooges, and asked me to go out with her.
Given the previous day's disastrous date, I guess she was afraid I might have been too embarrassed to call her.
Although if something is important enough to me, I'm not all that easily discouraged.
Correctly guessing at my financial situation, she invited me for a walk on the boardwalk along Toronto's Beaches. The previous day's freak October snow had melted away and we sat for a while on an old park bench in the warmth of the autumn sun and watched the passing parade. Linda loves to people watch and the boardwalk brings out some amazing characters.
I used my left over two dollars to buy us each a hot chocolate.
We talked and walked and teased and laughed and mended the cracks my ineptness had introduced on Saturday night. We admired the chocolate foam mustache on each other's upper lip.
Over the next weeks and months we went for more walks, and pub dances, and friend's parties, and and wrote term papers together, and went to family functions. We phoned each other and talked for hours.
A year and a half later we were married and this May 2, will be our 39th Wedding Anniversary.
So here's to my beautiful Linda who knew when and how to call and who has given me the 39 happiest years of my life.
You are my life's treasure and I love you.
Fallen Leaves and Memory
11 hours ago
