Chapter 009 - 1986.07.17

  • I met my wife, Mary, this day.

  • She was a high-school friend of my housemate.

  • My housemate worked at the same company -

    • as one of my high-school friends.

  • It was just a coincidence that my friend and I -

    • worked in the same area in a whole different state.

  • Mary traveled up from NJ with two other male friends -

    • to go camping in the White Mountains -

      • with my housemate.

  • I had a housemate -

    • because my fiancĂ©e had broken off our engagement.

  • The house was procured for us living together -

    • after her forthcoming graduation from her post secondary ed pursuit.

  • The house was too much for me to handle on my own modest engineering salary,

    • so my friend made the intro -

      • thus a housemate vs. a wife.

  • Neither Mary nor I were immediately taken by the other.

  • Mary did her own thing upstarts -

    • while us four boys played beer pong -

      • the original beer pong -

        • in the basement.

  • I had my college keg refrigerator still in operation.

  • We were all pretty young -

    • though I had four years on the others.

  • Mary had recently graduated,

    • but took up employment in the city -

      • with the same company she had interned with for two summers.

  • As I type this,

    • I hear Mary upstairs -

      • still working for the same firm -

        • though, with a different company name now.

  • The NJ friends group went camping -

    • and got lost -

      • as part of the exciting weekend trip.

  • I was invited, but declined -

    • because I was too busy at my work.

  • Ironic, because I was soon let go.

  • I didn't think about Mary again -

    • until my housemate told me -

      • "Mary says hi!"

  • That simple innocent gesture -

    • got me thinking -

      • and the rest is history.

  • But it was more than six (6) years before we would wed -

    • with a lot of fights in between.

  • We still argue and disagree,

    • but mainly about approach -

      • NOT about what's right vs. wrong.

  • Mary is a very typical human being -

    • a great pretender that our world is improving,

      • very slowly, but still getting better.

  • From her POV -

    • not necessarily from the perspective of the typical human being.

  • She had little idea the depth of what she would be getting into -

    • as my life partner.

  • Oh, she knew it would not be easy,

    • but I'm certain,

      • given what she now understands,

        • she would never have accepted that ring.

  • Mary is a saint,

    • for putting up with me and my gloomy,

      • but optimistic,

        • outlook of our world.

  • Hopefully, she would admit -

    • that's the good outshines the bad.

  • The problem is -

    • neither one of us know,

      • if the really bad -

        • is waiting for us yet,

          • in the near future.

  • We are a good complementary pairing though.

  • Probably no one else that could have endured all the bad

    • that comes with the good of me.

  • Thank you Mary.

  • Much love!

  • One day at a time now.

  • Let's hope better days are coming.