Perpetual Ruminations

Sunday

Okay, now it's getting a bit frightening. Not only did I make it in here early yesterday afternoon, but now I'm in here before noon today. Yes, this is a morning entry to my journal, a very rare thing indeed. It's kind of like digging in your garden and finding a dinosaur bone.

It's because I'm not working Sunday mornings. It's been a long time since I have not worked both Saturday and Sunday mornings, except, of course, on the rare occasion I had one or the other off. No, I don't have Sundays off, I just don't have to go in to open. Now, I'm doing a short shift at the end of the day, and closing up around eight-thirty.

This morning is the third Sunday I have worked closing instead of opening. I got up early, with Rhonda, enjoyed a cup of coffee with her before she left for work, then had a second cup while I petted Mr. Bugoo. He had taken my spot on the love seat when I got up to see Rhonda off to work, so I had to sit on her side. Hannah came over and sat on my lap for a bit, but she couldn't sit long, it's light out and she has to watch sentry out the living room window.

After the second cup of coffee, it was time to eat a light breakfast, so I had two pieces of toast with blackberry jam, washed down with a third cup of coffee. My first two are with creamer and honey. Usually Rhonda and I enjoy these together, or at the least, one of them together. I then switch to just black coffee for the rest of the day, except on rare occasions when I use a little creamer and sugar.

It's kind of a humorous story how this came to be. I have enjoyed coffee for longer than I can remember. I started drinking the stuff as a teen, and it's always been black, except for very rare occasions. Rhonda never drank coffee, except as a child when she would drink coffee in the mornings with her grandpa. Of course, being a young girl, he would have more milk in the cup than coffee and a little sugar for a sweet little girl.

One morning, while enjoying my coffee, we were talking and she told me about this special time with her grandpa. Of course, I had to mix her up a cup of coffee with milk and sugar just to make her smile. I didn't think she would drink it, but it was the thought that brought her a big smile. Only, after tasting it, she liked it and drank the cup of coffee. After that, it became our ritual to have a cup of coffee with milk and sugar together each morning.

I was never very fond of milk in my coffee, so I purchased us some creamer, and Rhonda and I both liked it better. In time, we found our favorite kind of powdered creamer and have used it ever since. We still use the liquid creamer from time to time, just as we sometimes use a flavored creamer. Years have past, but we still try and enjoy a cup of coffee, with cream and honey together each morning.

Speaking of sharing our mornings, it was thirteen years ago today that Rhonda came to my door. Yes, we met on February 8, 2002, in the afternoon. She came by to pick up her daughters, who were visiting with mine after school. I had not met her, so when she pulled up and knocked on the door, I went to answer it before any of the kids could.

I had a puppy who was about two months old at the time and she was always by my side. I opened the inside door, then reached down and scooped up the handful of fluff so she couldn't run outside, then opened the storm door and said, "HI, I'm Tim."

She looked me up, then down, shook my hand quickly and told me her name. Then, looking over my shoulder, she asked the girls if they were ready, turned and walked back to her car. I'm sure I asked her in, but I don't remember much more than introducing myself, her looking past me and asking ithe girls if they were ready, and then walking back to the car. It was kind of rude, but I didn't take it that way, I just assumed she was shy and kind of anti-social.

In fact, I recited a line from a movie as I turned back into the room, "Definitely the anti-social type." A line I have borrowed from time to time from the movie, Kelly's Heros.

Of course, her daughters were a bit shocked at their mother's actions, and they were also fast to cover for her and apologize for her being rude. I just blew it off and went back to what I was doing. More than likely, being a single dad with three teens in the house, I was making dinner.

The next day, however, she came back to pick up her girls again. This time she did come in, and as things worked out, didn't need to pick up her kids. The Eelpout Festival was starting, and my children were going to it. I had planned to just stay home for the night and enjoy some quiet time without any kids. Her kids wanted to stay and wait for Jamie, my daughter who was not back home yet, and by the time Jamie did get home, someone had suggested that Rhonda's girls join the group.

They didn't have warm hats or gloves, but I had plenty on hand, and before long Rhonda agreed to let the girls tag along. Now, neither of us had any children nor any actual plans for the night. I invited her to stay and visit, and before we knew it, the kids were back home and we had sat up and talked most of the night.

So, tomorrow is the actual anniversary of the first time we actually met, talked, and got to know each other while today is the anniversary of the first time we met without any conversation. It kind of makes for a two day anniversary, and it also marks the beginning of a very wonderful friendship.

When we met, neither of us were interested in a relationship. We had been in some bad ones and had had enough of that life. So, instead of moving in the direction of being a couple, we moved into a close friendship. Then, while visiting her sister, I was invited along. Something had her sister thinking we were in a loving relationship, so she arranged for us to share the same room. But, we had sat up talking and visiting until just about everyone else was in bed and sleeping.

That's when we discovered we would be sharing one bed. The only choice was to share the bed, or wake a couple of the kids and try and rearrange some bodies. Being responsible adults, we knew we could share the bed and not have anything happen, so we changed and prepared for sleep. Sometime during the night, I woke, as is normal, to go to the bathroom. I had just gotten back into bed when Rhonda woke, and needed to do the same.

She kind of just rolled over me to get up, since the bed was up against the wall on her side, and when she returned, she kind of rolled over me, again. Between being relaxed, and snuggled, something had changed. Her now very close presence was too inviting, and the next thing we knew, we were in a loving embrace, and our lives changed forever. Instead of destroying the friendship, we fell even deeper in love, and soon were living together. Best friends and lovers, both single parents and a whole new life ahead of us. It's never changed. The kids all grew up and have moved on, we also moved and started a new life here, in South Dakota. But, the rest has stayed the same, we are still best friends as well as lovers, but with the titles of husband and wife as well.