By Trent Rosser
I usually don’t speak much of my wife. When I do, it is usually about how she is correcting me on something stupid that I was about to do. For example, “Do you really think you can pull the broken glass out of that window without gloves?” Or “Yeah honey, it would be a great ideal to try to pry open a jar with a razor knife!” She says things like this all the time. I must admit...... She is usually right! Don’t let her know I said that. She will never let me forget it!
Honestly, I don’t know why she puts up with me. I do things that drive her crazy! Usually, it’s not on purpose, just the filter between my mind and my mouth doesn’t work properly. Also, sometimes, I would say something and it comes out totally different from what I was thinking. Once, we had to go to the hospital, when the doctor came in to talk to me, I said something stupid. Instead of saying “This is my wife, Sharon.” It came out a little different. I looked at him and said, “This is my significant other.” Why it came out that way? I have no idea. Or when she came out in a skimpy nightgown and she said that it was bunching up so she wasn’t sure about it. The proper thing that a man should have said would be, “No, honey, I like it. It looks sexy on you.” My response was blunt and not exactly what it meant. “Yeah it is bunching up around the top, go put on another one, I don’t like it and it don’t look like it did on the mannequin.” What I wanted to say was that she was beautiful, but if she didn’t like it to go ahead and put on the other one. Since it didn’t come out that way, I received the silent treatment for the rest of the night. I sometimes think that my wife is very lucky to have me, then reality hits and I am assured that I am the lucky one.
Let me tell you how we met. Years ago, I was working as an Assistant Manager at a truck stop in the tire and lube shop. We would change tires and oil along with minor mechanical work. I worked overnights and had only 1 or 2 employees with me during the night. Sometimes we would be busy all night, but most of the time, come 2am, it was dead. Right next to us was the fuel island where the trucks would fill up with fuel. In that little part of the truck stop was a deli. Sharon, just happened to work in that deli at the time. Since we both worked for the same company, we would get discounted drinks and refills. So, when we were slow or had were not working on any trucks, I would be over at the deli. Getting my refills of Dr. Pepper and flirting with a beautiful young lady named Sharon. Now, before I go any further, I must remind you; this was during my heavy drinking days. I had no self confidence or self esteem. I was also shy; unless I was drunk. With that being said, I did get enough courage to talk to the pretty deli clerk. I do remember one time, she just got off work and I had to make my rounds to try to run off the “lot lizards”, (prostitutes) and drug dealers. It was nothing big really, as soon as anyone seen the work truck come around the corner, they left. If they didn’t I would just let them know that they were not suppose to be in the back. Surprisingly she said yes! So we drove around the truck stop, up and down the parking lanes and just talked. I should have asked her out, but my lack of confidence got in the way and I didn’t. Shortly after, she quit and I too quit. I never saw her again. Fast forward 13 years, I was now sober for a few years and I found a dating web site. So I joined. I met many good people on that site and still have a few friends from there, and then it happened. I saw a picture of a young lady and thought that she was cute. I sent a message and after talking with her for a while, we set up a first date. It was not until our second date that she reminded me of who she was. She knew all the time, but my drinking had put some of my memories in a blur. I didn’t remember her, until she told me, “You took me driving around the truck stop to chase off lot lizards.” Yep, I can leave a lasting impression!
I am not saying that she is perfect. We all make mistakes sometimes, and she is no exception. Just the other day, I came home from work and she was upset that I took the entire bowl of leftover spaghetti to work for lunch and did not leave her any. I explained, that I didn’t take anything for lunch that day. She swore it was not in the refrigerator where she put it the night before. After looking for about 10 more minutes, we found it. She put it in the freezer instead. She used to fix my lunch to take to work. It was usually leftover hamburger helper what we had the night before. She always put them in our “Special” Tupperware bowls. The kind that most people have. Empty butter and sour cream containers. About a year ago, she fixed my leftovers, and handed me my lunch box to head to work. At lunch, I was looking forward to microwaving a big helping of leftover pork chops. Only when I lifted the lit, it was an actual full container of butter! I am still wondering if it was an accident, or if she really is trying to kill me by getting my cholesterol up!
Again, we all make mistakes, but it was no mistake finding each other again after all those years. And again, she is not perfect, but, she is perfect for me. I just hope my “significant other” doesn’t serve me leftover butter again!
