The morning of Thanksgiving Day, I stretched out my tired bones and let out a long and lazy yawn. My eyes still closed, I suddenly felt what was slowly becoming a familiar sensation. A warm body rolled over and curled up next to me, perfectly outlining my naked frame. We fit together flawlessly, like two spoons in a drawer. I squirmed to get closer, as close as I could possibly get. He kissed the back of my neck, sending chills down my spine. I was starting to get used to the whole sleepover thing we had just incorporated into our relationship on the weeks I don't have my children, and I was suddenly becoming quite accustomed to the whole idea.
Funny how you don't realize how much you miss something until you have it again. My last serious boyfriend and I had broken up almost a year ago to the day and had shared a long-distance relationship that didn't include too many nights in a row sleeping side by side. Therefore, notwithstanding the odd dalliance, having a continuous stream of sleepovers was something I'd all but forgotten. Until now. And it felt wonderful and natural and meant to be.
Of course, as I allowed my mind to wander, I realized that it had always been that way with us; even our first date went over as though we'd known each other forever. After our initial introduction and two days of shameless flirting via e-mail and the telephone, we decided to meet at Hannah's Bistro for a friendly game of "Twenty Questions." It was John's idea, he said that he'd played once before on a date and that it was a great icebreaker—not that we needed one.
When I walked into the restaurant I spotted him sitting at the bar glancing at his notes. I smiled to myself just thinking about the questions I'd come up with. I started out simply: Where were you born? What's your birthday? Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Things a girl should know. The way I figured it, by the time we got to about question nine or so, we'd be buzzed and I could move on to the more risqué questions like: Do you have a name for your johnson? Have you ever filmed yourself having relations? Do you want to? Normal stuff like that. The funny thing is, we weren't buzzed, we didn't even drink! We were just comfortable asking and answering every question posed. It was just so ... wonderful and natural and meant to be.
Then the kicker; it was his turn to ask a question, so he cleared his throat and said, "OK, an eastbound train leaves the station at about 10 p.m. ... " I squealed like a pig, jumped out of my seat knocking my barstool to the ground, and threw my arms around his neck.
"I was just kidding," he said, a little shocked by my reaction. "I was going to write one of those but decided against it."
"You aren't going to believe this," I said, cutting him off as I read, "Question 17: A train has just left the station in LA at 11:30 p.m. traveling west at 77 miles an hour." At this point, John understood my outburst and grinned. Then he picked up his pen and started scribbling notes to try to figure out the riddle. "Another train traveling from the East Coast has left its station at midnight and is traveling 96 miles per hour." I paused for effect. "At what time do half-price lap dances start at Spearmint Rhino?"
We laughed our heads off. Luckily, John didn't have a clue what time half-price lap dances started or if such a thing even existed, so I knew he was a keeper.
Our second date was more of the same, tons of conversation, laughing, joking and, being that we were at ESPN Zone, things even got a bit competitive. He literally schooled me at air hockey, beating the snot out of me three games to one. But things turned around quickly once we made our way to Pop-A-Shot, where my love for former Phoenix Suns superstar Thunder Dan Majerle out of Central Michigan showed through as I shot the lights out. Then I challenged him to a ride on the giant roller coaster. "You're not a big, fat fraidy Katman are you?" I teased.
"From what I understand, just dating you is the equivalent of riding a giant roller coaster every day." He was quick; I had to give him that. He was not afraid to tease me and I loved it.
The more time we spent getting to know each other, the more time I wanted to spend with him. Before I knew what had happened, we were having "the talk." Even that went over without the slightest hint of complication. "I don't have any interest in being intimately involved with anyone but you," he'd said.
"Are you asking me to go steady?" My turn to tease.
"Yes, I believe I am," he said.
"Hmmm ... I'll have to think about it. OK, I'm in," I answered playfully.
The next morning, I awoke to find a gift bag on my front porch. Inside there was a T-shirt from the Stones concert he'd attended and a card. Inside the card was ... his high-school letterman's patch. It was official: We were going steady.
I crinkled my nose and smiled at the memory, stretching my lazy bones again as I rolled over to face my boyfriend. "Happy Thanksgiving, Wink," he said dreamily.
That's right, it was Thanksgiving and I had so much to be thankful for. I have two amazing children that love me unconditionally, friends that I would kill for, a beautiful home, a career that I completely relish and now this remarkable man. There were no words to describe my gratitude, yet when I opened my mouth to speak, three little words filled the space between us: "I love you," I said. I hadn't used those words for a very long time, yet saying them to this amazing man felt wonderful and natural and meant to be.
Sonja is a writer who covers the ins and outs of relationships. Or is it the ups and downs?