Because we grew up in the same town, I have a few early memories of Melinda but my interest in her started when we were freshmen in high school. Melinda and I went to different middle schools and so our freshmen year was the first year we were together in school. I had asked a friend at church who went to the other middle school if there were any cute girls that I should track down once school started. He gave me one name: Melinda Watters. I took one look at her in choir class and decided that he was on to something. Since I was scared, I did the only thing I could think of - I asked my friend to ask her if she was interested in me. Anyone who has seen a picture of me from that year in school will not be surprised at the answer I got back - not interested. Anyone who knows Melinda will not be surprised at what happened next. In my embarrassment, I was determined to avoid Melinda at all cost. In my mind, she had rejected me. Melinda had other plans. She knew even then that you couldn't base romance on first impressions (thank goodness for me!). She made me get over my embarrassment by forcing me to be her friend.
Over the next few years, Melinda became my best friend. We occasionally went on "dates" together during our freshman and sophomore years - mainly when neither of us were dating anyone else. In some ways, I had given up hope of ever really dating Melinda because I assumed that her initial feelings for me continued. At some point over our sophomore and junior years, Melinda's feelings for me changed from "just friends" to potential dating material. I was too thick headed to see it but fortunately she didn't give up on me. I remember going on one of our "dates" in December of 1992. I don't recall where we actually went but we were dressed up - she wore a velour green dress (I probably used a line like "Is that felt? Well now it is" as I rubbed the material between my fingers). At the end of the date, we kissed - just a quick peck. Even I could figure out that we were no longer just friends after that moment. A few weeks later, we went on our first real date. I took her ice skating in Tulsa at the Williams Center. She wore a pink sweater and I remember accidentally causing her to fall by trying to show off my skating skills. She forgave me and between Christmas and New Year's Eve, we agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I'm convinced that the early years of our friendship made us the couple we were. From the moment we started officially dating, I never felt more comfortable with a person - nothing like the awkward teenage relationships that most of us remember from high school. She was so wonderful.
~Mark
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2 comments:
Mark, what a great thing that you can remember all of that. (I don't remember what I wore last week!)Stories like that will be so wonderful to tell your kiddos as they get older.
Mark, that is so sweet. Marli, Marcus and Manning are so lucky to have two parents who shared such a great love story. You two are an inspiration to us all more than you will ever know.
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