I have one of the Few Good Men...
When I was 24 years old, I was living at home, working two jobs and going to school. I had choir practice once a week and it was a given that church on Sunday was an all day thing.
I barely had a social life, but I managed to squeeze in what little time I had, to date a knucklehead.
This is a Finish the Sentence Friday Post!
“When it comes to past relationships, my daddy thinks... all my boyfriends were knuckleheads.”
Though I doodled my future last name of every boyfriend I ever had, my daddy knew that none of them were the one.
While I was dating the last knucklehead my daddy had to worry about, my brother was signing up to go into the Marine Corps.
On the day my brother's recruiter was coming to the house to meet my parents and pick up my brother for training, I happened to be home as well. We all answered the door. I had an attitude about my brother becoming a stereotyped knucklehead Marine. I stood there defensively with my arms folded, not intending to be polite about this Marine taking my brother away.
My dad said, "Hey man, I'd like you to meet my daughter." The recruiters eyes lit up. He asked, "And what grade are you in?" I huffed, "I am seven years OLDER than my brother. I WORK!"
Daddy quickly interjected, "Hey man, are you married? I am looking for somebody for my daughter."
I disappeared in another huff, while hearing, "Yes sir, I am married."
A few days later my brother came home to tell me, "Sgt. Johnson is going to call you." I said, "WHO is Sgt. Johnson?"
My brother told me about a conversation that transpired in the car the day my daddy tried to marry me off to my brother's recruiter. He said, "Sgt. Spell said he had someone for you to meet."
I was livid. I HAD a boyfriend. I worked full-time, I went to school two nights a week, and I did hair on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Ain't nobody got time to talk to Sgt. Johnson.
I was in my room when he called. I had a separate telephone line in my room, but my brother didn't know that number to give to Sgt. Johnson.
So I went to take the call in my brothers room.
I have to say in my memory, I was pretty rude. It was approaching Thanksgiving and my family and I were going out of town. In other words, "No, I can't meet you anytime soon." I told him when I would be back and left it at that.
I don't remember the second phone call. But I did agree to meet Sgt. Johnson at Applebees on my lunch break during the first week of December. I know that by the day of the lunch date, I had softened to the idea of meeting him. In my heart I knew I was currently dating a knucklehead and it was getting old.
circa, 1996 - This is what we were wearing when we met on our blind lunch date.
I had already arrived when I see this skinny guy in uniform get out of a Blue Ford Tempo rust bucket.
I had my doubts... but
When I returned back to work, the first thing I did was call my mom. She said, "Well?" Bright eyed and giggling through the receiver, I said, "It was nice. He was so refreshing." Knowing my mom, she exhaled.
Before my birthday (mid December) I broke up with my boyfriend and Sgt. Johnson and I went on our third date.
On New Years Eve he went to church with me and on January 1, 1996 he recruited me off my feet from across a table in IHOP. We sat in there and talked for hours. I melted into the idea of dating a Marine. Turns out, not all of them are knuckleheads.