Two Blissful Years

A few years ago, I met a girl. Her name was Stacey.

We had met a couple of times over the summer of 2000 through a mutual best friend, Colin. The timing was awful for us; we kept bumping into one another, but Stacey was dating someone at the time and we kept meeting at awkward times when Stacey was showing up at the bar or party very late after working a night shift.

We'd heard a lot about each other through Colin, but hadn't had much of a chance to get to know one another. In fact, after one meeting, I thought she couldn't stand me...it turned out she was just flustered because she'd had a hard evening. But Colin was certain that we were perfect for each other, even though he had "issues" with getting two of his closest friends together.

Anyway, things started to come together when Colin arranged for the two of us to meet him at the Royal Oak on Laurier along with some other friends. I was already very attracted to Stacey....I had only met her briefly, but she was cute, smart, blonde (I'm a sucker for blondes), and she had this way of speaking directly that was unfamiliar among my friends, almost unique.

I'm not sure how it came up in conversation, but Stacey admitted in front of everyone that I was her perfect type and that she thought I was "hot"....that sure sent my heart fluttering. I know I'm not unattractive or anything, but I don't usually get "hot"....I wasn't sure what to say (Thanks? I think you're hot, too? Let's discuss this next Friday over some dinner?) I think all I mustered was "Really? You think I'm hot? Huh..." or something of that nature.

We walked over to Zaphod's, but Stacey needed to meet her boyfriend (problem!) at another bar. She sort of sheepishly asked me if I wanted to come along, but I decided to stay. I gave her a big hug and smiled and said I hoped to see her again soon. There was a sparkle in her eye when she said the same.

We didn't see each other again until Colin's housewarming party at his new (now ex-)place in Hull....she showed up late from work again, maybe midnight. She was tired...but she wanted to be there for Colin. And to see me. You see, she'd recently broken up with her boyfriend....she wasn't planning on starting anything new right away, but there I was.

We found a quiet corner, and I showed her some of the photos that I had taken on my recent trip to the Maritimes. Stacey was so tired, but she stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning talking to me while we were wrapped up in a blanket and Colin was snoring like a buzz-saw a few feet away. We both crashed there, that night....I grabbed a couch downstairs, while she stayed upstairs. I had offered to give her a ride home the next day...when she came downstairs, she said my eyes opened like I instinctively knew she was there and I smiled when I saw her.

I drove her home and gave her my number while we were sitting in her parents' driveway. She called me a few days later, we talked a couple more times, and we set up our first real date.

Two years ago, today, we met in the afternoon at The Nox, a pub on the University of Ottawa campus, for a few games of pool (which we both sucked at, but we didn't care), some bad early 90's tunes on a jukebox, and an auto-frier poutine (with two forks). I had to leave her for a few hours to co-host a punk rock radio show that my friends Tony and Colin hosted...but we'd clicked so well that Stacey and I wanted to see each other again, later that evening. Forget a "second" date, we had two in the same day!

I picked her up at her house and we went to see Almost Famous in a practically empty theatre. It's sort of our movie, now. And then I brought her home and we had a perfect goodnight kiss on her front porch. On the drive back home, I couldn't stop smiling and shouting things like "YEAH!" and "Awesome!" I'm sure I was a total menace on the road, but I didn't care.

It was one of the strangest first dates either of us had been on. And we've been happy together ever since.

Love you, honey, and happy anniversary!