By Chance ~ The Conclusion

It was like having a drink with a stranger…we talked and he laughed at my corny jokes and he told a few clichéd jokes too. He ended up being pretty funny. He was taller than I was and he had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He had an interesting face. He had olive skin. He looked like he could have been native Indian which later I found out he was part Chippewa. 


There was something about him that I liked.  He had a way about him that made you feel as if you knew him. We talked about work and he asked me where I had been all his life. I laughed and he didn’t. He looked at me as if he could eat me up. 


The lights flickered and it was last call. The bar was closing. He never asked for my name or my number.  He walked out with me and my friends and asked where I was parked. I pointed to the racy fire-bird and he smiled and said it suited me. He asked for my keys and opened the door of the car and leaned it and told me he would see me again.  I wondered if that was going to happen since he had never asked my name.  


The weekend flashed by in an instance and when I walked in to work there were a dozen roses on my desk with no card. I smiled and wondered how he knew. Then, I remembered he asked me where I worked. I worked at a company that sold phone systems. 


I had an appointment that morning with a new company and I was pressed for time and could not take any more time with thinking about the stranger I had a drink with.

I walked in to the company and was directed to the Vice President of Sales and as I walked in I thought this was some office with the sky line of Chicago. 

It was a beautiful Mahogany desk and the man was turned around in his chair talking to someone with his back to me. I had no idea if he knew I was there and didn’t want to eavesdrop on his conversation so I began to back up going for the door when I heard, “of course, she’s here yeah I’ll get all the info and get back to you.”

The man swirled in his chair and he stood up and crossed the room and held his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Jim VP of sales and you must be my 11:30. My eyes must have showed my surprise and I must have turned all shades of red before I laughed out loud. 

This was my call, my stranger who I had dreamt about all weekend long. I was thunderstruck. For the first time in my life I did not know what to say. Here was this stranger in his Brooks Brother suit looking so at home and very sexy in this huge office with this gorgeous view of the city. 

My mind was reeling. Who was this guy and most importantly how the heck did he know who I was?  My first thought was when we met at Eric’s Friday night did he know me? This was just strange.  He looked at me as I was querying my mind with all of the how’s and what’s?  

“Let’s have lunch and he put his hand on my back and led me to the door. We walked down the hall to the elevator and rode down to the lower level where there was a restaurant. We did not speak until we were seated. I didn’t know how this presentation was going to go. I was nervous and was told I was going to be talking to the VP of sales and was not expecting this. 

The waiter came by and asked if he could get us a drink. I am not much of a drinker but I could have used a shot or two of something just for some courage here.

This was bizarre. He took the liberty of ordering for me and said he hoped I didn’t mind.  He asked how my day was and if I had the cost of the phones and what I had it mind for his company. 

This was business as usual to him. Was he kidding? I wanted to know who he was and how he knew who I was. He said he remembered my license number from my car and he knew somebody who gave him my name and address. He also knew he had an appointment with somebody by the same name and he didn’t believe in coincidences.  

He also asked if I liked my job and at that point I didn’t think I was getting the sale or not and told him that I was quitting my job and moving to California in 2 to 3 weeks. He asked why and I said I wanted to live somewhere warm and with mountains and my family was moving out there too. I told him my brother was an actor and I wanted to go with them.

He asked if I believed in love at first sight and I laughed and saw the twinkle in his eyes with mischief. The corner of his mouth went up to a grin and I felt that I had stayed too long at the party. 

The waiter came with our salads and I had no idea how I was going to swallow this food

.

He told me a little about himself of where he grew up and that he was the youngest of four just like I am.  He said, this company that he was working for was having a bit of financial problems and he didn’t know how much longer he was going to be employed. 

I looked at him and asked why I was here if they were not going to buy the phone system from me. He said, “I had to see you again and I didn’t want to meet you in that bar”

I was flattered at his attention but thought this was too unbelievable. Our lunch came and we talked and laughed about various things. 

He asked me where I parked and I told him across the street in the parking garage he walked me over and said, “I am sorry for the ruse, but I was desperate to see you again” He lifted my chin and kissed my lips gently. “I need to see you again. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I met you.”

Then he took my face in his two hands and kissed me like he was never going to let me go. “Don’t make any decisions about California yet.” I looked at him with uncertainty.

“I want to go with you when you leave” he smiled and walked away. 

“Hey, what do you mean you want to go with me?” I asked. “I hardly know you.”

“I can’t let you go without me. He winked “You and I are going to have a life together.”

I gave him a look as if he were out of his mind.

“You know you’re beautiful.” He said as he walked away. Did he really think by giving me a compliment that I was charmed?

Well, we did go to California together and we began to see each other every day and got to know each other. It was a whirlwind romance and I was falling in love. 

We talked to a priest about getting married.

The priest was more sensible then we were when he said, “I won’t marry you until you have been together for at least 6 months.”  

We ended up not getting married. In fact, we broke up. He left California but he kept in touch by letters.

Three months later he called me and asked if he came out to California would I come back to Illinois with him? I told him I was in Las Vegas for the weekend. As I was on the phone with him there was a knock at the door and when I opened the door it was him standing there with a huge smile on his face and a bouquet of wild flowers.  

He grabbed me and hugged me and whispered in my ear, “I got spooked, everything was happening too fast. I want you in my life forever. I love you more than I can tell you.”  I looked up in to those dark eyes and knew from that moment that he was going to be part of my life. I hugged him as tears streamed down my face as he was kissing me. “I love you too.” I told him.  

We did not get married until a couple years later. It was not a traditional wedding as planned but that’s another story.

We are still doing the happily ever after.