PGDesigns
09-12-2007, 01:37 PM
J and I met during Chemistry class. He was a star football player and Mr. Popularity. He was also part of Mrs. Lawrence's "Peanut Gallery," which consisted of other football players that sat in the back of the room and cracked jokes the entire time.
I, on the other hand, was somewhat quiet and felt out of place in a class full of older students. I played soccer and softball and had just had a nasty (and well publicized) breakup with a baseball player the year before. In the meantime, I dated a family friend, but we decided to call it quits after a couple months.
J apparently had a crush on me, though he didn't say anything because he thought I was still in a relationship.
The following summer, I was helping the yearbook staff with senior pictures, and J came in. We talked while he waited in line, and finally, he asked for my number. It ended in five 1s, so he assumed it was a fake. I handed him the phone and told him to see for himself. He couldn't hide the smile as he realized he was wrong.
We began to hang out after school as we waited for our practices to start and became close friends. We both knew we wanted more, but there was a problem: He was black, and my family would not allow it.
We decided to date on the sly, and one of my "friends" told my parents. I got in tons of trouble but just couldn't break up with him for such a silly reason. We dated all through his senior year, but lost touch when he went to college out of state on a football scholarship.
I finished out high school and decided to go to a school about two hours south of my hometown. One the third day, I had to go to the advisement center to have my schedule changed. After waiting for over an hour, I looked up and saw J...only a few people in front of me! I had no idea what to say or do, so I got out of line and went back to my dorm.
A couple nights later, I got a call from a guy named "Michael." I thought it was my friend Mike playing around, but it turned out to be another guy I went to high school with, and he said J was his roommate. He asked me to come over later, and releuctantly, I agreed. It was right down the street, but it seemed to take forever.
As soon as J and I came face to face, it was as if nothing had changed. We started hanging out all the time, and after two weeks, we were dating again. Neither of us had known the other was coming to school here, so it really was fate.
It was another year or so before I told my parents that J and I were back together and were moving in together soon. They disowned me for a short time.
My parents finally started to come around, though they still didn't really acknowlege J very often. My mom was sick and she couldn't go without talking to me. SLOWLY, things became more normal. They saw how much he did for me and how he was there through some rough times.
My mom passed away in December. My paternal grandmother passed a month and three days later, and exactly seven months after that, my maternal grandmother passed away. Three HUGE losses in only a span of eight months and three days. To make it worse, I was next of kin for my maternal grandmother and had to be the one to make the decisions on taking her off of life support and arrangements that I had no money for. I ended up having to go against my grandmother's wishes and have her cremated, but there was no way I could afford the $10,000 for the cheapest funeral around.
J and I have been engaged since June, but I wanted until two weeks ago to tell my dad. I'm an only child and all that he has left, other than siblings. He finally realized that J is serious about this and will be there for me through whatever challenges I may face in life. To my surprise, my dad was not mad.
We plan to get married next fall, so after 10 years(!!!), my dream of marrying my best friend and the love of my life will finally come true!
I, on the other hand, was somewhat quiet and felt out of place in a class full of older students. I played soccer and softball and had just had a nasty (and well publicized) breakup with a baseball player the year before. In the meantime, I dated a family friend, but we decided to call it quits after a couple months.
J apparently had a crush on me, though he didn't say anything because he thought I was still in a relationship.
The following summer, I was helping the yearbook staff with senior pictures, and J came in. We talked while he waited in line, and finally, he asked for my number. It ended in five 1s, so he assumed it was a fake. I handed him the phone and told him to see for himself. He couldn't hide the smile as he realized he was wrong.
We began to hang out after school as we waited for our practices to start and became close friends. We both knew we wanted more, but there was a problem: He was black, and my family would not allow it.
We decided to date on the sly, and one of my "friends" told my parents. I got in tons of trouble but just couldn't break up with him for such a silly reason. We dated all through his senior year, but lost touch when he went to college out of state on a football scholarship.
I finished out high school and decided to go to a school about two hours south of my hometown. One the third day, I had to go to the advisement center to have my schedule changed. After waiting for over an hour, I looked up and saw J...only a few people in front of me! I had no idea what to say or do, so I got out of line and went back to my dorm.
A couple nights later, I got a call from a guy named "Michael." I thought it was my friend Mike playing around, but it turned out to be another guy I went to high school with, and he said J was his roommate. He asked me to come over later, and releuctantly, I agreed. It was right down the street, but it seemed to take forever.
As soon as J and I came face to face, it was as if nothing had changed. We started hanging out all the time, and after two weeks, we were dating again. Neither of us had known the other was coming to school here, so it really was fate.
It was another year or so before I told my parents that J and I were back together and were moving in together soon. They disowned me for a short time.
My parents finally started to come around, though they still didn't really acknowlege J very often. My mom was sick and she couldn't go without talking to me. SLOWLY, things became more normal. They saw how much he did for me and how he was there through some rough times.
My mom passed away in December. My paternal grandmother passed a month and three days later, and exactly seven months after that, my maternal grandmother passed away. Three HUGE losses in only a span of eight months and three days. To make it worse, I was next of kin for my maternal grandmother and had to be the one to make the decisions on taking her off of life support and arrangements that I had no money for. I ended up having to go against my grandmother's wishes and have her cremated, but there was no way I could afford the $10,000 for the cheapest funeral around.
J and I have been engaged since June, but I wanted until two weeks ago to tell my dad. I'm an only child and all that he has left, other than siblings. He finally realized that J is serious about this and will be there for me through whatever challenges I may face in life. To my surprise, my dad was not mad.
We plan to get married next fall, so after 10 years(!!!), my dream of marrying my best friend and the love of my life will finally come true!