The Story of Us

Maybe it's the long distance relationship that's happening right now or maybe it's the approaching anniversary - either way, my thoughts are consumed with Mike and I've been in a very "reflective" frame of mind lately. I love thinking back to the beginning of our relationship and I like to quiz Mike about what he liked about me enough to ask me out, how he felt the first time he asked me out and what he was thinking after our first date. I already know all the answers to my questions, but it's still nice to hear Mike say them!

Mike and I have actually sort of known each other for roughly 14 years. You see, Mike worked at the Husky on Marquis Road way back when it was still known as Gasland. When Mike worked there, I use to go buy my cigarettes from there because I rarely got carded (this is when the smoking age was 16). So our love story begins with Mike selling cigarettes to an underage 14 year old...should I mention at this point that Mike was 26? Perhaps not. But I will point out that Mike does not remember me from these days...phew!

Fast forward to January 2000...I was 20 and Mike was 31. Now it was my turn to be the one working behind the counter at Husky and Mike was a general labourer working at the OSB plant in Hudson Bay, SK. Mike would leave for HB on Sunday nights and return to PA on Friday nights. When Mike would stop in at the gas station on his way in and out of town, I recognized him as "that guy who used to work here", but I didn't pay him much more attention than that. But, Mike had already taken note of "the girl with the beautiful smile who was always laughing". After I got that bitch fired, Mike noticed that I worked there as well. I kid, of course. It was ME that Mike was noticing.


After a couple weeks of flirting, Mike worked up the nerve to ask me out. It was so cute...I hadn't even clued in that he actually, really liked me. Mike asked me to come to the back of the store, next to the magazine rack. I can't really remember all that he said, but I do remember him saying, "I would really, really like to take you out this Saturday night". I felt all giddy inside and, of course, I said yes. As it turned out, Mike had to cancel our plans for that Saturday. He felt terrible and asked for my phone number so he could call me to make plans for another time.

Mike phoned me from Hudson Bay and asked if I wanted to come out there for supper. I had the next couple of days off work so we agreed to meet at his hotel the next day, after he got off work. It's a two hour drive to HB and I had butterflies in my stomach for the entire trip. I don't remember the last five kilometers of the drive because I was primping in the rear view mirror the whole time. I pulled into the hotel parking lot and faced my car towards the highway so I could watch for Mike's car coming in from work. And finally I saw it - the red, four door Sunfire. Mike told me later that he really wanted to kiss me when we first got out of our cars, but he didn't want to be too forward. Instead, he offered to carry my bag. I waited in my room until Mike had showered and changed. We ate supper at the local Chinese restaurant and by the time our meal was finished, I knew that I would marry Mike. I was so in love with him after only an hour. I loved his boyish charm, his goodness, his humour, his intelligence, his interests, his thoughts, the way he presented himself...just everything. Obviously, Mike was pretty smitten with me as well because from that point on, there was never any talk about "What are we doing? Where are we going? What does this relationship mean to each of us?". We were simply together. And the rest, as they say, is history.