November 14th, 2006 by Atomictumor
So, we had met.
We went on with our lives. I lived on campus, she lived at home, we went to school, and worked dissimilar shifts. I didn’t usually wake up until after she had left work for the day (despite the scheduling of a few classes during these wee hours, like Geography).
We’d get together and hang out. She had a car, which is an enormous power, putting places like West Knoxville in the grasp of a poor ass’d college student like me. I cracked my first (and only) BJ and the Bear joke, and it didn’t go over as well as I thought it would.
I went to her house, with my roommate, in Andersonville (which is a king hell drive from UT). She had a computer with a CD-Rom drive, a Pentium 1 processor, and a massive 250 MB hard drive. She had tons and tons of WAV files. She was an internet rat, to an extent. It was awesome. For me, living in the x86 world, her computer was friggin amazing.
I recall a day when I had my arm twisted (very, very lightly) into missing French class, and heading to the mall with her. Back then, you could still smoke in West Town mall, in certian designated places, and smoke we did. She sprung for pizza at Sbarros, I gave her piggy back rides, and we had a good time. She was a great friend.
Thats been the basis of our relationship since then.
Time went by.
Halloween of 1995, I got a phone call from her, a bit distraught, asking if she could stay with us. We were in Clement, and were about the least popular of the RA’s guys due to our penchant of either playing punk music way too loudly, or of opening up the windows and serenading the courtyard with an impromptu two man show, he on the guitar, and me on the drums.
That, and the room was friggin disgusting. I had to carry BJ around in there when her shoes were off, because she wouldn’t touch the floor.
Oh, and because it was a non-smoking room, and we smoked anyway. With the windows open. Pretty much kept them open all the time, and the heat turned up all the way for this chilly winter nights. Good times!
Anyway, she had some sort of problem at home, she explained, and wanted to hang out. I had her drive on down, distracted the RA, and smuggled her up. Turns out he knew she was there the whole time, and didn’t really care.
Ah, youth.
So, she stops by. I hadn’t seen her in a few weeks, and it was because, as she explained, she had a nasty break up with a boyfriend (who eventually became a good frined, and has dropped a line in the shoutbox since this started. Kudos, J!), quit coming to classes, and got in a fight with her Dad when he told her to either be in school or get a job. She split, and she wasn’t going back.
Me, I was on her side. I didn’t know her dad, and didn’t realize that 10 years later I’d agree completely with him regarding the methods used to treat slack teenagers (lo, I have become the enemy), I just knew that she was really cool, and needed help.
We watched halloween movies on the sci-fi channel, Night of the Living Dead, and Evil Dead 2 (still some of my favorites). As the night drifted on, she ended up falling asleep next to me in my little bitty twin bed. While I still considered her a good friend, and knew that feelings tend to ruin perfectly good friendships, I couldn’t help looking at her. At her sweet face, her soft skin, her dark hair. I watched her breathe. I touched that hair, afraid that she might wake up and think I was being weird (well, I guess I was).
I wanted her. Not sexually, necessarily (although that was certainly there), but I realized that I loved her. I realized that she is a person with whom I am very compatible, and I realized that she would probably make me pretty damn happy.
We slept together for the first time. We didn’t touch, or embrace, but we layed in the same bed and dreamed.
The next day, she came with us down to Chattanooga. She had a friend she was going to stay with at UTC, so she rode down. She met my family, who thought we were more than friends, evidently.
I dropped her off at UTC, and met her friend. I said my goodbye, and drove away.
I didn’t see or hear from her again until February 16, 1996, but I thought of her often.
Good night, BJ, from a different bed. I’m thinking of you, and I love you so much.
November 14th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Aww. Great story so far, can’t wait to hear the rest :)
November 14th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Got here from another blog– and started at the beginning of GAC’s ordeal. I’m so sorry for what your whole family is going through and I will keep you all in my thoughts.
November 14th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Sleep well!
November 15th, 2006 at 5:50 am
write a book, dammit. you always leave us thirsty for more.
you guys have been together almost exactly as long as my hubby and i … 95 … good year.
she’ll be home with you soon!
November 15th, 2006 at 7:09 am
“(lo, I have become the enemy)”… that tends to happen to everyone who grows up, especially when you have children of your own.
I’m still startled to hear my mother’s words coming out of my mouth, but it happens. And that’s a good thing. Great story; yes, there’s a book in there.
November 15th, 2006 at 7:38 am
Love your love story. Praying today for more positive signs and no pain.
“Go find a woman,and you’ll find love
And don’t forgot son
There is someone up above”
Lynard Skynard wisdom seems appropriate today.
Keep the faith.
November 15th, 2006 at 7:56 am
Morning, AT. Like everyone else, this is the first thing I do when I get up in the morning. (Dustmite let me sleep and got the kids off.) I guess you’ll be having more company tonight - I think dad’s coming up. He’ll be accompanied by Wolverine, so I’m sure he’sll have a safe trip.
Keep us updated, because I’ll be checking here all day. I love you guys!
November 15th, 2006 at 7:59 am
You know what? Here’s how girls are- I bet you $1.83 she knew you were touching her hair, and I double that $1.83 (can I double my own bets? I don’t know how that works) that she thought to herself “If I move, he’ll stop touching my hair…”
Oh love!
November 15th, 2006 at 8:48 am
Someday, we will all sit down with a Brew, and look at all of our Paraallels. You just would not believe it.
Hang in there, still hangin tight.
November 15th, 2006 at 8:54 am
I hope you have a great day AT. Still praying over here Kville for you all.
November 15th, 2006 at 9:04 am
I am also driven to log on to your site each morning AT. The love we read of in your posts is an inspiration to us all. There are several people here in Ohio praying for your and your family and we look forward to hearing of a full recovery.
November 15th, 2006 at 9:25 am
Thanks, everybody! Yeah, I’m really fond of our story. I was so dense, that it didn’t occur to me that maybe she’d WANT me to have made a move. She’s too reserved to have told me, anyway.
November 15th, 2006 at 9:31 am
ah you brought back a ton of memories for me too…living in the dorms, college roommates, and those disgusting bachelor pads!! LOL!
I’m thoroughly enjoying your story, and I look forward to reading more!
Hope you slept well and that today is another good day!
November 15th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Great story. It is amazing how we can remember such detail when we meet the love of our life. I am the same way with how / when I meet my wife. I couldn’t find the Tynonel for my teeth this AM, but I can tell you every little detail of when we meet. Funny how the important things stay with us, even if we do not know how important they will be at the time.
Know we are all still praying and praising. God is working and moving here we know it. Keep us updated the best you can and as you see fit.
November 15th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Hang in there, man. I can’t wait to hear the next chapter. Good times.
November 15th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Ah! You’ve done it now. You’ve incited an emotional war in my brain. See, I too log on here toot sweet each morning, all be it with a hint of dread – fear of reading bad news. But this morning I logged on and found chapter 2 in what is rapidly becoming my new favorite coming of age dramady ever. Now I can’t wait to see what happens next. Ahhhh.
By the way, who is gonna play you and BJ in the movie?
November 15th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
How anyone can write with such beauty and eloquence while going through what you’re going through is beyond me. Keep up the positive energy, it helps her more than you know. I’m just a stranger on the internet, but I’m out here thinking of your family and praying for you.
November 15th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Wow. Thanks very much, Noelle.
Ben, thanks for sticking around!
Kelvis, we’ll have to see about speaking. I’d love to have Samuel J play me, but as I’m very white, and don’t look much like him, I don’t think that’ll work. Maybe the guy who played Balki is available?
November 15th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
We could make it a Tarantino movie, then Samuel J could totally play you, and Uma could be GAC. Tarantino and I go way back - I’ll see what I can do with that.
November 15th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Hi. I found you through Crouching Mommy, Hidden Laundry yesterday, and have read every word you have written since your love became sick. After reading all you have written, I feel very close to you and your family, and want you to know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. As a fellow East Tennessee-an I’m only a couple of hours away, and would absolutely help you any way that I can. I will be looking toward the day when you and your wife sit and read this unbelievable story together, and she sees over and over again how much she is loved, and how many people’s prayers were helping her to recover. God Bless you, AT, your wife and your children.
November 15th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
AT,
Thanks for the beautiful story on how you and BJ met. I have never heard that. Sad how time gets away from us all and we get so busy that we do not keep in touch and don’t really get to know each other very well. We’re family and I should have never let that happen. Tell BJ I said I love her. If you need anything, call me.
Dee Dee
November 15th, 2006 at 10:31 pm
Hi Dee Dee, good to see you. Yeah, we have a neat story.
I’ll pass the message along!
November 16th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Hey man,
I’m still checking in for updates when I can. I truly hope this all works out for the best for your family. I’ve never held any hard feelings, that was a long time ago, like 12 years, and I have known since I met you that you and BJ were a great match. I still remember working at the old Pizza Hut with the crew, good times. I can’t even really imagine what it must be like for you right now. I know I would be terribly distraught if my own wife was in the same condition. You are a strong man to be able to share so much of your feelings on this blog.
November 16th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Dude, I pray that nobody I know finds out what its like, man. I wouldn’t wish this on Hitler.
Good to hear from you. Raleigh’s my birth town, so’s you know!
They kicked me out at 6 months, tho.