Late as usual and in a foul mood, I was hastily running down the three flights of stairs at the Portland apartment. The foul mood stemming from the extremely bad marriage I was so desperately trying to get out of and I’d overslept again! Out of nowhere comes this guy moseying his way up the stairwell like he did he didn’t have a care in the world. Just about the time I was going to gross him out for being in my way, I looked up at his face and standing before me was this very handsome stranger. Instead of my usual “move it buddy, can’t you see I’m in a hurry!” what came out was “do you want a roommate?” Where THAT question came from was way beyond my comprehension, he was a complete stranger and yet he didn’t look a bit offended by my remark. He just stood there grinning at me with his arms slightly crossed over his chest, like he was waiting for me to say more. Speechless, all I could muster was a smile back while thinking to myself, where did he come from, why haven’t I seen him around, is he new in town, is he single, will he ask me out?
Standing in the stairwell, the vibes between us were so powerful like we’d known each other forever, yet I knew nothing about him. Once he smiled back at me, I melted, and at that very moment we connected. It was the beginning of what some would call “love at first sight”
You know, love at first sight when your heart beats so fast, you fear it will pop out of your chest. When every waking moment is consumed with thoughts of this person, so much you can never fall asleep. When the love is so good, it’s like a fix, fuel you can’t live without, but when love sours, that fix, like a bad batch, can kill you.
Yes, love is truly a mystery and this new found love was particularly mysterious for three reasons; I was in the middle of a bitter divorce, I didn’t have a clue who he was, and most of all I didn’t believe in the cliché love at first sight.
No matter how disheartening divorce can be, you must always focus on the positive and remember there is a light at the end of that tunnel. My divorce was as bad as they get; not only was he mean and controlling, I had a child with him and he wanted custody. No matter how far I ran, he would always find me. He no more wanted a child in his life than he would having a gun to his head, he was simply trying to punish me by fighting for full custody. He wasn’t capable of taking care of himself let alone another person; he’d made that very clear over the past couple years. So there I was running again, staying with my best friend in Portland and that’s when I met him, the stranger in the stairwell.
When you’re experiencing any kind of tragedy in life, it’s hard to comprehend your mind could even wrap itself around meeting new people let alone strangers. My mind must have been an exception to the rule because right then, right there I knew what was happening having those vibes, those feelings of connection with my stranger. Come to find out, that man on the stairs turned out to be my new hope in life. He was actually there for me, he’d come to save me! You see, I was in Portland at a friends house without a car and on the run, again. The man I’d met on the stairs was there to pick me up and take me home. My stranger wasn’t a stranger after all, he was a good friend to my brother, and he knew practically everything about me, stemming all the way back to my childhood. He was my knight in shining armor, there to take me away and end all my pain and suffering. My dear brother, always looking out for me, had sent his best man to rescue me.
With my heart all a flutter and joy flowing through my veins, I couldn’t stop from smiling. Never having a stitch of luck in my life, for the first time in a long time I was getting the feeling of good fortune and certainty. It was like this huge weight finally fell off my shoulders and sheer happiness was taking it’s place. Life up to this point for me had been nothing but misery and disappointment and here I was getting a second chance at love, a second chance at life. Was I falling for him because the story was such a fairytale? Na, it couldn’t be the story line, not when I was experiencing this incredible connection with him, feelings of giddiness, bliss and comfort. He was my fuel, my fix, my love at first sight. Instantly, my mind had changed about the cliché, I had no choice, I was falling and falling fast for the stranger I’d just met on the three flights of stairs at the Portland apartment.
With the connection I had with the stranger on the stairs, you’d have thought I'd lived happily ever after and in all actuality, I did marry the stranger and remained married for many years. The marriage did eventually fall apart like some due, every circumstance is different or at least that’s what everyone thinks. It usually boils down to a couple of the same issues, money and sex but that’s besides the point. Although I may have two marriages under my belt, it doesn’t mean I stopped believing in love at first sight. Maybe my stranger changed my belief in the cliché or maybe I’m just getting smarter and wiser in my old age but I can truthfully tell you it still exists. I can say this because I am in love for the third time in my life and no, I’m not married. I did share my story with my new man because at the time we met (eleven years ago) I didn’t think I could ever fall in love again and I felt he needed the truth. Third time’s a charm or is it three strikes your out….either way, I’m happy, I’m content and my heart still flutters from time to time.
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The outro is very strong, really snaps the piece into focus.
ReplyDeleteI think you had a story you wanted to tell, but squeezing it into an essay wasn't a comfortable fit, eh? It's strongest at the start and close, weakest up the middle where the details either are scanted (graf 2) or the graf isn't quite about what it's supposed to be about (graf 4.)
I look at the whole thing when I grade. Is it overall competent or not, I ask myself (not 'is it perfect?') If it is competent, it passes and gets full credit. It is and it does.