It seems like a lifetime ago I was working as a beer-cart girl in a golf tournament to benefit Women in Need. He ordered a beer from me on the 18th hole, but I didn't pay attention to him. Later, when everyone was at the clubhouse for the awards ceremony, I was sitting at a table with my friends and he tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and looked up, and in his best Rocky Balboa voice, he said, "Hey, I'm Tim Jones, can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?" I barely looked at him and said, "No," then turned back to my friends.
About a month later, I was again with my girlfriends at a local pub where a lot of professionals gather at the end of the day. Once again, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and once again he used that same pickup line...."Hey, can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?" Once again, I said, "No," then turned back to my friends. This time, they all stopped talking and one-by-one chastised me for being so rude. Why in the world would I say yes? I have no clue who that guy is, and no desire to go out with ANYONE. When he left, I saw him get into a brand new yellow Corvette and pull out of the parking lot. Figures...he's probably got an ego to go along with that car. Besides, he talks like Rocky Balboa.
Another month went by, and I was at a dance club with my girlfriends. This time, a creepy dentist was trying to pick up on me. He made the mistake of trying to draw me closer to say something to me by wrapping his arm around my neck and pulling me into him. LINE CROSSED! I don't like being touched by strangers in a bar...much less being placed in something of a choke hold. I shoved him with everything I had, and as he toppled over, it had a domino effect and several other people went down with him. The bouncers immediately surrounded me and began to escort me out of the bar.....and then "Tim Jones" came over and jumped to my defense. I hadn't even noticed that he was there. "It wasn't her. He's been messing with her all night and she's tried to make him go away politely, but he wouldn't listen. I watched the whole thing." They escorted the dentist out the door and apologized to me.
A few minutes later, I headed to the restroom and he was in the hallway. As I passed by, he said, "Now can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?" I didn't even turn around, just said, "No," over my shoulder and kept walking. Just as I started to push on the bathroom door, he yelled, "Why the hell not!?" I stopped, rolled my eyes, took a deep breath, turned around and walked right back over to him....and gave him my speech:
"Let me explain something to you. I have a little boy. I'm raising that little boy all by myself. I only get one night of freedom each week. For one night, I don't have to be anyone's REALTOR®, Mother, daughter, sister, or anything else. I get to be plain ol' Lina Robertson. I can hang out with my friends and let my hair down. I don't have to worry about how I look, whether or not anyone is happy with me, or whether I'm making someone else happy. The last thing I want to do is waste my one night of freedom on some pretentious date, with some pretentious man, pretending to be something I'm not, while you pretend to be something you're not. So why don't we not, and just pretend we did, okay?"
I spun on my heel and went on in to the restroom. I forgot about him for the rest of the night. As we were leaving, a girl came running up behind me and said, "Excuse me, my friend really wants to go out with you." I said, "Tall guy, dark hair? What part of 'no' doesn't he understand?" Then she gave me HER speech:
"He says you won't go out with him because you have a little boy. He has a little boy, too. He's an AWESOME Dad, a GREAT friend, and he would make the BEST boyfriend you ever had.....and I'm just really glad YOU will never find out." SNAP!!!
She spun on HER heel and walked away. My friend Holly said, "Oh my....who in the world does she think she is?" I was stunned. I followed my friends to the car while they were all making their indignant comments about the girl, and telling me how rude she was, etc. I finally said, "I hate to admit it, but I think I deserved that one."
In the next couple of weeks, I wondered about him and who he was. I looked him up in the tax records (isn't that what REALTORS® do?....LOL). Turns out, he lived less than a mile from my office. On my way back to the office one day, I detoured through the neighborhood. There was the yellow 'vette....and beside it was a shiny new yellow Hummer. Yep....that was his house. And really....what's up with the flashy yellow cars? Mid-life crisis? Probably. I'm sure the guy's a player. Come on....he's 6'6', tall, dark, handsome....he's probably dated half the women in Springfield. I SURE didn't need THAT! He should just putter on down the road in his little yellow 'vette, talking his "Rocky" talk....and leave me alone.
Then, that Saturday night, my friends had a surprise birthday party for me. As we're all standing around talking, me and the girls were reliving that night at the bar. That's when one of the guys chimed in and said, "Are you talking about TJ? He's a GREAT guy! Why won't you go out with him, Lina?" I don't know....maybe because I don't know him? Hello! He picked up his cell phone and I heard him say, "TJ....there's someone here who wants to talk with you." He shoved the phone in my hand and I tried to shove it back to him, but I finally just bit the bullet, put it up to my ear and said, "Hey. I'm sorry I was so rude to you. I just don't know you, or anything about you, and I never make a habit of accepting dates with men within the first 2 seconds of meeting them. So, would you like to come down here to my birthday party?" Dead silence. Finally, I heard, "No," and the phone clicked and went dead. (Sigh) Yep....I deserved that one, too.
15 minutes later, my friend said, "Hey Lina...look who just walked in the door." There he was. I was standing up and for the first time I realized how incredibly huge 6'6" tall men are. He walked right over to me, and in front of everyone, he said, "Last time I ask....can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?" I was so embarrassed, but I just smiled and said, "Sure, I'd love to."
That was September 30, 2005. We've been together for 5 1/2 years now. We don't get out as much anymore. As a matter of fact, it's pretty rare when we do. But we don't miss it. Both of our careers have consumed most of our free time, and we have been through a lot of ups and downs together these past few years. The yellow 'vette and yellow Hummer were traded for a new Suburban. Through it all, he's been my rock, my best friend, and the only REAL Dad my son has ever known. I still get butterflies when he walks in the room. He's better than any hero in any romance novel I've ever read.
Last fall, my son was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. He's only 12. I was devastated. The night before Thanksgiving, still in the midst of my depression, Tim took me to dinner. As we were talking, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring and said, "I love you, and I love Logan more than you could ever imagine. I want you and Logan to know I'll be here for you both...forever. But I want to do that as your husband. Will you marry me?" Of course, I said yes. :)
So....Saturday, May 21st, I'm going to marry Tim. I feel like all those dreams I had as a little girl are coming true. I found my knight in shining armour. Okay...all right....so he found me. LOL I may be a little slow....but I'm not stupid. And this time, I promise to say yes.....the FIRST time I'm asked.
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