A Love Affair: Part Two

May 1994

Young Marine and I have now dated for a couple (2) weeks and he tells me that his immediate family, who live in FL, will be at a family reunion in Knoxville and do I want to come? As I pondered my decision, my thoughts centered around the following two things... a) my severe social anxiety and shyness and 2) the fact that he still "officially" had a girlfriend back home and his family was sure to love her and think that I was a total skank. And then the pro hit me and wiped out those two very big cons. I would be able to stay in a hotel for two nights!! What 20 year old doesn't love a night or two in a hotel? That is just about as good as it gets!

The big day arrives and I dress to impress! A shorty one piece and flats with big 90's hair and bright red lipstick. (I truly thought I was Cindy Crawford! Beauty mark and all!) We pull up to the reunion and everyone starts rushing the truck as he had been away from home in the Marines for over a year now and they were all so glad to see him again. Me? I froze. Then I took a deep breath, lit a Marlboro Red (yes, ashamedly, I was a 2 pack a day smoker at the time) and gave them all my best Super Model smile. (I may have even done a little hair flip.)

As I'm making the rounds meeting (and hugging... turns out his family were major huggers! Me, not so much) everyone, I finally get to his dad who just laughs and whispers in my ear, "I already like you better than the other one." That made my day! I had an ally! You see, we had just narrowly avoided disaster. Mister's mom was going to bring his high school sweetheart to the family reunion as a surprise. He was bringing me as a surprise. The day before his family left for TN, his mom called him and told him about his surprise. There was just enough time to un-invite said sweetheart and turn things around. (Boy, that would have been disastrous!!)

Shortly after falling in love with his family at the reunion, Mister received orders to go to CA. CA!? This was horrible! I had expected him getting orders to go somewhere but what I had not expected was falling in love! Yep, in 6 short weeks I had become totally smitten. And he was leaving. For CALIFORNIA! This new love affair was starting to not feel so good.