First Encounters With the Man of My Dreams

The other day, I was thinking about ( no, dreading) the coming summer, and realized that I have lived here for 10 years. 10 hot, dry but blissfully happy years. I moved here May 8th, 2001. I had a new job, and was going to live with my sister who worked in the office across from my new employer.

The monday morning I was to start, I arrived a little early and couldn't get into the office, so I sat down on a bench outside the door and waited for a co worker to arrive. Nervous to start a new job, and seriously bewildered at having just picked up and moved from Utah, I wondered if I should just get back in my car and head back to Orem.

I don't know anyone here but family.

It's hot.

I miss Michelle. ( My old roomate)

I tried to be cool and uninterested when this good looking, sort of rugged guy walked up in work clothes, looked around, stepped up to Allison's office, tried the door, and, realized that door was locked as well. He turned around and began walking towards me.

"Annie, right?"

Wait a minute, who are you? I don't know anyone in Arizona. Annie who do you know who looks Italian? Or Middle Eastern. Or something. In Arizona? Am I related to you? Crap, do I have any cute cousins that I forgot about? Did I know him in Utah maybe?

Ok, let's just pause right here to rewind a bit. When I came down to interview for said job, I was lucky enough to choose the weekend of my grandparents 50th anniversary party. My mom kept me busy mannning the strawberry table, so when my cousin Tracea grabbed me to introduce me to John Foote, I was carrying a huge platter of chocolate dipped and gold dusted strawberries. We didn't talk very long, since I had a serious job to do, and they left pretty quickly afterwards, so I didn't think much of it.

So when he showed up in paint clothes outside Allison's office, with a hat on, it took me a minute to place him. Of coarse at the time I didn't know, but would learn well over the next few years that this guy has an impeccable memory. When he sat down on the bench next to me, I got a preview of one of his other talents, as he flawlessly made small talk even with my nervous, somewhat confused replies until someone arrived to unlock the office door for us. As the day wore on, I managed to sneak over to talk to my sister, secretly hoping I could have another chance to talk to the cute painter guy. It wasn't until weeks later that we would talk again, but I was just so excited he had remembered my name and wanted to talk to me that I felt my attitude change towards Arizona, just a little.

I had sort of forgotten about this little incident until a few years ago. At the time it just seemed coincidental, but looking back now, after 10 years of marriage and 4 kids, I realize just how profound it was that my future husband was there in this new life, literally from the start. He made my first day of work better, and cast a positive light on a huge life change, just because he was so cute and ambiguosly ethnic and willing to talk to me. Don't you ever just wish you could go back in time and tell yourself a secret? Or even just a hint, as to why some events should leave you so elated. But I guess that would ruin the surprise.

But oh, how happily surprised I would have been.