Remembering Paddy : An Internet Romance

When we were first introduced to each other (on-line) in September of '97, I was skeptical that he and I would "fall madly in love", but, as you can see, we did and I don't regret it. Like all new relationships, ours started out pretty much like any blind date might have. We spent that first night on-line, chatting. We spoke of where we lived, what we did for a living, our childhoods, family, likes and dislikes, what our dreams and aspirations were. I was floored when Paddy next spoke these words to me, "I think I could fall in love with you."

By then, it was well into the next morning and I didn't think I believed him, owing it to the fact that we had just spent several hours talking and we both had to be tired. Besides, what could come of a May/December relationship? Him being the May of 21 and me the December of 45. Not to be denied, was the fact, that I was still getting over a deception with another man who said he loved me. (How could I have been so foolish?) I did know this, I liked him and knew, if nothing else, I had a dedicated friend in him.

Paddy and I grew closer with each hour we spent chatting together. I was, begrudgingly, finding myself coming to love him. Soon, we had exchanged phone numbers. We tried to keep the phone calls to a minimum since he lived in Ontario, Canada and I lived in San Francisco, California. It wasn't much longer after that, we began to make plans to meet. He was very excited about coming to S.F., the home of his favorite football team, the SF 49ers.

As the nights passed and worked it's way into November, I had had another setback. I was forced to resign from my job. Call it job burn-out, if you will. Being a surgical technician is a high stressed job and having done it for 18 years.....well, what do you expect?

I immediately posted my resume on a on-line job board and had 2 job offers. One was with an agency of traveling medical professionals. I accepted the position. What a better way could I make my meeting with Paddy easier and less costly? After having a list of places available for me to work, I opted for Connecticut to start out. It put me closer to my family in the East and I had a very good friend who lives there. After speaking to Paddy on the matter, we decided to meet up in Detroit, Michigan, where we had a mutual friend. She would be our go between from California to Detroit and my friend in Connecticut would be the go between from Detroit to Connecticut.

I left San Francisco on the 24th of November, packing my car to the max inside and out. Making sure I had room for my little Yorkie, Morton. His place was in a cozy basket, carefully seat belted. Traffic was a little heavy as I headed out of San Francisco and there was a light rain falling. When I hit the Sierras in Nevada, the rain was now a heavy snow. It had been a long time since I had driven in snow (living in SF you never see any), but was happy that I remembered what to do in the case of a skid. Sure enough, on the downside of the mountains, the road was obliterated by the snow and had become treacherously slick. I went into a slide when I was trying to stay on what I thought was road. Fortunately, I managed to stay to the left side of the road and slid into the median. Had I slid to the right, I would have gotten down the mountain a lot quicker, but not exactly in one piece. Once I regained my composure and had gotten out of the car to see if I had damaged anything and to see how stuck I might be in the deep snow, I rocked the car back out onto the road and went more carefully on my way. I arrived in Elko, Nevada about 1 AM and got a room for the night.

I started out fresh about 9 the next morning, after seeing to Mort's doggy needs and getting us some breakfast at McDonald's. I really pushed myself to the limits that day. Stopping only to get gas, food and bathroom breaks for the both of us and stopping for an hour nap in Nebraska. What a flat and desolate state that is. I didn't stop until Wednesday night in Des Moines, Iowa. There, I called Paddy and told him to get on that big Greyhound and make his way to Detroit. I bought a meal at a restaurant next to the motel and slept 8 hours.

Thursday morning, Thanksgiving Day. The day promised of rain. It started out light, as it moved toward the early evening, it had become a downpour. I pulled into a gas station for fuel and for Mort and I to relieve ourselves. We were both soaked by the time we got back in the car. I tried to dry us off the best I could and we settled down for our Thanksgiving feast. Left over bread and butter from my previous meal and water. I rested a bit, then back onto the road we went. Soon we were in Michigan, and wheeled north toward Detroit. Upon reaching Detroit, I stopped at a phone booth to call my friend there to get directions to her place. When she answered the phone, I could hear Paddy's voice in the background, anxiously asking if it was me. I spoke with her on a meeting place, since it would be easier than trying to find her home, and then spoke to Paddy briefly.

Eventually, I pulled into the arranged meeting spot, another gas station, and pulled into a parking space. I saw the two of them in her car and saw him quickly getting out and almost running to mine. I turned off the car, almost slumping over the steering wheel with exhaustion. Paddy opened my car door, I barely had the chance to remove my seatbelt, he was almost dragging me out of the car. I stood on shaky legs in his warm embrace, grateful for his strength. When we moved slightly apart, we kissed for the first time. Never before had a kiss meant so much to me.

I looked over at my friend to find her holding Mort and smiling as she watched us. I broke away from Paddy to give her a big hug as well. Thanking her for the part she had played. We then drove to her place so that I could warm up and stretch after the long drive I had made that day.

About an hour later, Paddy and I set out to find a motel for the night. And we would have too, if I had had enough money for one. As it was, we ended up spending our first night together sleeping in my car in the motel parking lot. I had blankets and pillows that made our night warmer, although they did nothing for our cramped quarters in the front seat of my little Hyundai. Unfortunately, we awoke the next morning to a dead battery. Paddy took what little cash he had left on him and went across the street to Tim Horton's and got us coffee and donut holes. I was so cold and the coffee helped to warm me up some, plus Paddy's closeness. He turned to me and said, with a look total love upon his face, "Val, I love you with all my heart and soul. Will you marry me?"

I swallowed my donut hole with some difficulty and told him yes. Followed with a good cry of joy.

We were able to talk this young couple into giving us a jump start. Then we went back to our friend's place and unpacked my car. He had a check (Canadian, unfortunately) that he wanted to get cashed and thought a quick jaunt over into Windsor, Ontario was the ticket. Ya know, French Canadians can be a bit unfriendly. He was never able to get the check cashed and we really could have used the money. We returned to Detroit to meet our friend, she had offered to buy us lunch. We had a good meal at a Mexican restaurant.

I was still so tired when we decided to go to the mall to browse around. As we were walking through the mall, Paddy got this sly smile on his face. "Val," he said, "Where are we?"

I looked at him in confusion. "We are in a mall," I replied. Realization came to me too late. He had always said that he was going to tickle me in the middle of a busy mall. I turned to run as he made a grab for me, slipped and fell, right in front of a very startled lady. She really must have thought we were both insane by the look on her face. I apologized to her emphatically and we took our leave of the mall, quickly.

We returned to our friend's home to repack the car and hit out on the road. We still had a long trip ahead of us and I was to start my new job on Monday and it was now late Friday. We finally had to stop in a truck stop in Ohio, I was too exhausted to travel any more. We slept for another night in the car. We started again in three hours after a McDonalds breakfast.

We were only a few miles outside of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania when we put the last $4 we had in the gas tank. I knew we weren't going to be able to make it to Connecticut on that. So, we stopped in Wilkes-Barre and I called my uncle. He invited us to stay in his and his wife's home for the night and allowed me to call my friend in Connecticut for a loan so we could finish our trip. Early the next morning we picked up the money at the Western Union. Before we left, we made a little side trip. I saw my mother for the first time in over 12 years. The look on her face I will never forget. Her face absolutely glowed with her joy to see me again. I was happy that she even recognized me. You see, my mother suffers with Parkinson's Disease. I introduced her to my new fiance, after she mistook him for my son, David. I wish we could have stayed longer, but time was growing short. And we left with the promise to return for a longer visit.

"From Internet to Love to Sadness"