This was originally published on one of our three anniversaries.  I like to celebrate the day we met.  (election day).  We had two weddings.  The first one at the court house, just to seal the deal.  The second one was two weeks later.  It was a small ceremony that we wrote.  It was outside overlooking a beautiful pond.  This one was for us.  This is the one with family. 

This hub was originally published on our "first" of three anniversaries.  I am re publishing it, as it is another anniversary. 

Happy Anniversary My Exotic Lotus Blossom. 

It pays to be patriotic

A long time ago, I was free. I was done traveling the country, ready to expand my boundaries. I could not decide if I should go traveling around Europe or head to India and Nepal. I was staying at my moms house because I was not going to be in town long enough to get my own place. I had a few months to decide where I would go, as I was not leaving the country until I voted George Bush (Sr.) out of office. So I went to the local library to do research. At the library I found a flyer asking for Voting Poll Judges. I thought what a great idea, I could do that and then leave the country after election day.

So I went to the county and signed up. I took the classes. I was ready. That is untill the alarm clock went off at 4:15 in the morning. I said screw it and went back to bed. My mom woke me up and said "Time to go." I said no. It was too early. She said get up and go. Ok, ok, damn. Why did I have to tell her my plans. So I went.

I took the whole voting process very seriously. I was having fun and loved the fact that I was part of the process of the institution of democracy. At one point, I was assigned to the one of the books. There were two books. They had the names of all of the registered voters. I had N-Z. Sometime in the early afternoon, I felt something behind me. Everything got quiet and fuzzy. Part of my soul snapped. I turned to look, and looked right into a pair of eyes. I fell in those eyes.

I have always had sort of an extra sense. One where I could read a person through their eyes. But this was different. I fell like Alice through the rabbit hole. Down down down. I had a combination of feelings and visions and impressions. I took them in, but to this day could not describe them in a way that anyone would understand.

I knew it was a woman. I knew it was the one I had been looking for. I have had my share of beautiful women, but I had thought long and hard at what I wanted in a woman. I figured that if I was ever lucky enough to find her, she would be Fugly. How could a woman have everything that I was looking for and still have good looks.

So as I withdrew from her soul, her eyes, I was prepared for fugly. What I saw astonished me. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was dark and exotic. For a moment, I thought she was a Gypsy.

She had strange poise, as if she had gone to finishing school. She held herself like Royalty. She was wearing a strangely Victorian style dress. One might at first glance think she was a prude. I did not. She was directed towards our table. My jaw must have been hanging to the table. She came right at me with a smile. The lady with the other book, A-M, asked what her last name was. She kept standing in front of me. The lady asked again, and told her “Over here honey, you are in my book” The whole time she kept looking over at me. I was relieved that she was not in my book. There was no way I could have talked. I could feel my heart in my throat. I could feel the drool dripping down my chin. She would have thought I was retarded. “Oh how nice. They let retarded people work at the polls.”

I watched her disappear in the crowd. I kept looking for her. I finaly saw her go to cast her ballot. Then she left. I wondered how in the world could I find her again. She had to live nearby. I had visions of hanging out in the grocery store waiting for her by the grapes. How would one pick up a date at the grocery? I would just have to figure that out when I saw her.

Half and hour later, she comes back through the doors and heads straight for me. OH GOD NOOOOOOOO. I knew my heart was in my throat again. I would babble and drool like when Steve Martin asks Bernadette Peters out for a date in the movie “The Jerk”. She came up to me and said, “This is for you” and slipped me a note. She then turned around and ran. She knocked into an 80 year old man, bowling him over. She yelled “Oh my god, I am so sorry” and ran out the door. I just kept staring dumbfounded. The lady working the table next to me said, “Boy, you done got you a hot one!” I just sat there with a stupid grin from ear to ear and wiped the drool of with my sleeve.

The “Odd” note had her name, her phone number and what she would be doing. It had I time frame to call her. So I did. I told her I was working, but would call her later. And so I did. Then I called her the next day. We talked on the phone for a few days. I did not want to ask her out to dinner or a movie. That would be to Cliché’. Then finally, I found something to invite her to a Jimmy Cliff concert. I asked if she liked Reggae music. She said “Sure”. I asked her if she knew Jimmy Cliff. She gave a rather elusive answer, but said she would love to go.

When I dropped her off that night, I did not walk her to her door. I figured I would be expected to kiss her. I wanted her hook line and sinker before I would do that. I had to leave her wanting. Wondering. It was a dangerous game I was playing.

Well my tactics seemed to work. Three years later, I offered her marriage with a song. She accepted my proposal.

We got married 15 years ago today. She is my love. She is my life.