Wednesday, February 11, 2015

How I Met My Husband: Going That Extra Mile

by Jean C. Gordon

My husband and I met in a Western Civilization class the second semester of our freshman year at Genesee Community College.No bells or whistles or fireworks. But I can still picture our meet as if it were a few days ago, rather than 43 years ago. He and Laurie, a girl I worked on the student newspaper with, and I all sat in the middle back of the classroom that first day. We talked for a while after class and went our separate ways.

I, the quintessential good girl, honor student was drawn to his bad-boy look — long hair, beard, well-worn jeans and jeans jacket, not to mention he drove a Triumph 650 motorcycle. He was drawn to — well, I'll get to that later.

We met again a couple of days later when he turned up in my painting class, too. He was studying art. I needed an art class and thought a hands-on one would be more fun than Art History. Because the supplies we needed for class were so expensive, the art teacher suggested we students go in together on them. Mark struck up a conversation with me after class and asked where I lived. I told him, and he said we should share art supplies. He could pick them up that day after his classes and bring them over to my house since I lived "right on his way home."

It turned out his idea of "right on the way" was a little different than other people's. I lived with my parents 30 minutes south of the college, and he lived 20 minutes west of school. And I'm talking windy two-lane country roads. 

Who could resist a guy who was willing to go out of his way like that right right from the start?

As for what attracted him to me, he told me after we'd been going out a while that the first day we'd met, he'd decided he would ask either Laurie or me out. Why did he choose me? My scintillating conversation? My winning smile? No. Remember, he's a guy. He liked the way I looked walking out of the classroom better.




10 comments:

  1. Sharing art supplies - better than sharing an ice cream, any day! :)

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  2. And hey! Are those pink streamers on the back of the motorcycle?!!! Is that the wedding get-away-mobile?

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  3. He liked the way you looked walking out of the classroom - a totally honest guy. Political correctness aside - that's a great quality. Love these stories. Look forward to each one.

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  4. Wow - what a great story. Loved the "on his way" excuse. That's so romantic

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  5. ROFL! I bet he's still going out of his way for you, too, Jean. How sweet. Loved your story.

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  6. Hi Jean--
    Loved reading your story. He made the right choice! What a guy :-) And love the pics, too.
    Victoria--

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  7. Finally, got a chance to check in. Blogs are blocked at work. Yeah, I think I'll keep him. And, Sophie, yes, that use getting ready to take off for our wedding night at the Holiday Inn in Batavia, NY, before we packed the van with his bike and my piano and our other stuff to move to Los Angeles to finish our college degrees. But that's a whole 'nother story.

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  8. I love that story! Love the picture too. And lol on Mark's reason for asking you. Such a guy!

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  9. Great story, Jean. I expect there was more to it than just the way you looked leaving the classroom, but who knows? Love moves in mysterious ways.

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