ONCE UPON A TIME. . .

ONCE UPON A TIME. . .

Or maybe I should call this post –

GIRL MEETS BOY – GIRL LOSES BOY – GIRL GETS BOY BACK

(This could be a Hallmark movie!)

Anyway, this is my story.

Once upon a time, a teenage girl, her mom, and brother moved far away to her mom’s hometown. Within a few weeks, the girl was green (her mother told her she looked like The Hulk) and so sick that she was put in the hospital (in quarantine because they didn’t know what was wrong with her). Every day, for quite a bit of time each day, a cute teenage boy would be outside her door, washing the floor as part of his job (it had to be the cleanest floor in the entire hospital!). If she happened to glance at the window in the door and he was looking at her (which happened often), he would look away. She was intrigued and finally asked her grandmother, who stopped and spoke to the boy every day, who the cute boy was. Gram told her that he was a distant cousin and that they would be going to the same high school.

Meanwhile, the girl had been “dating” a boy before they moved. This boy was also young (but several years older than the girl) and repeatedly would stop seeing her, calling her (this was before cell phones), visiting, etc. We now call this “ghosting” so he will be referred to as “The Ghost”. The Ghost continued this behavior for years, confusing the girl and eventually the relationship ended.

When the girl was released from the hospital, she was able to start school on time. The girl and boy from the hospital would see each other in the hallways and he eventually asked her out on a date. They dated for a couple of years and wound up working together once a week at a local BINGO game. They fell in love.

Periodically, though, The Ghost would call or show up (without warning) and expect the girl to drop what she was doing to spend time with him. However, the girl was smarter than that and if she already had plans, she kept them.

The girl and boy continued to date as they progressed through school with him graduating and going to college and her finishing high school. But they didn’t quite make it to her graduation. For her, the prom was a life-changing event – but not in the way you think. The Ghost decided that HE was going to take her to her prom, even though she already was going with the boy. The Ghost threatened to show up at her prom. The girl went to the prom with the boy but she was worried about The Ghost following through on his threat and she was angry, distant, and did not have a good time. It was not a good night.

That is the last time that she remembers seeing the boy. In fact, to this day, she doesn’t remember a lot about those years for many, many reasons. (I hope to get more memories back with help from therapy.)

The boy and girl moved on marrying and divorcing others. Over the years, every 10-15 years, the boy would reach out to the girl through email or something similar. It would involve a few back-and-forth communications then be over. That is, until the girl posted on Facebook that she was separated. The boy waited a while to give her time to heal, then he reached out the only way he knew how to contact her – on Facebook.

Meanwhile, before the boy reached out, the girl had already figured out through therapy and analysis that the boy had always been “the one”. She had loved him all these years, he had never left her heart or her thoughts. She also knew, deep in her soul, that the boy had always loved her. However, since she wasn’t yet ready to date, she knew that when she was ready, she was going to reach out to him, but he beat her to it.

The girl wanted to take it very slowly because she was still healing but “the powers that be” had different plans. That’s a whole other story.

Today, after a 40+ year break, the boy and girl have been in a committed relationship for over 2 years where they are open and honest with one another about everything. Is it perfect? Heck no!! Will they live happily ever after? You bet we will!!!!!!!!!!!!!