How I Met Him

It was Saturday, October 30th, 1999.

I had the option to attend two different Halloween gatherings. One was close to my house in the suburbs, the other was in the city. I'm someone who wants to like Halloween. Every year around early September, I start to get all excited. I want to get the greatest costume and go out on the town. But, then it seems out of nowhere, it is the night before and I have purchased no costume and feel like going nowhere. This was the case on October 30th, 1999.

I had been back and forth all morning with a couple of friends who were trying to convince me to go out that night. One to the party in the burbs, the other to the city. I decided I would head to the mall, see if there were any costumes left, and decide from there.

I headed out with some friends and came home with a pair of fake leather pants, a blue feather boa, a blue wig, a tiara, and a sparkly tank top. Scary, right? It was the best I could do. I decided I would be Fabulous for Halloween.

I opted for the party in the suburbs. Since I wasn't too excited about going out in the first place, I thought it would be best to stay close to home.

Shortly before I was about to leave, I got a call from a friend. His band was playing at the party in the city. Their van broke down and they had no way to transport their equipment. Knowing I had access to a truck, they asked if I could lend them a hand.

This is where, I believe, fate stepped in.

If I had left the house for the party in the burbs, I never would have met you. I never would have gone to the city party. I never would have received the call from my friend. I never would have met you.

I got in the truck and headed to the city.

I first spoke to you as I came out of the bathroom. Your first words to me were: "did you wash your hands?". How very romantic. But you were cute and you said it with a smile.

Later, I ran into you in the kitchen where my dear friend, dressed as Marilyn Monroe, kept calling you Andrew McCarthy. See, you hadn't planned to attend this party, either. You were settled in at your apartment when you got a call from a friend who needed some moral support. He was going to attend a party of an ex-girlfriend and didn't want to go alone. After much begging, you relented and said you would go with him. Being it was late afternoon on the Saturday night before Halloween, a store bought costume was not an option. So, you threw on a beret, some sunglasses, tied some cables around your waist and went as...well, I don't know. You didn't know. But Marilyn thought you were Andrew McCarthy, so that is who you became.

I ran into you here and there throughout the night. Always with Marilyn who would get all giddy with her, "Hi Andreeeewwww!"

We were down in the basement watching the band play. You were talking to some guy neither of us knew. I was about to head upstairs. You both approached me. He said something I don't remember. You said, "you have a beautiful smile." I don't know what it was, but something about you seemed sincere and won me over right there. I grabbed your hand and dragged you upstairs. We were on the hunt for a pen and paper so I could give you my number. Surprisingly, there was not one to be found in the entire house. I came across a piece of ribbon, I dug in my purse for my lipstick and scribbled my number across the ribbon.

Of course, my friends then wanted to leave. They wanted to head out to the party in the burbs. I felt I should go with them, but didn't want to leave you.

We were standing in the dining room surrounded by mostly strangers...and you kissed me. It was wonderful. It was one of those moments where everything and everyone else disappeared and it was just you and I.
As my friends interrupted with their wanting to leave (I was the only one with a car at this point) they made the suggestion that you come with us. You agreed and we left. We made a pit stop at someone's house. We decided to stay there. I gave my friends the keys to my car and they took off. We spent the night getting to know each other.

I brought you home the next morning and you promised to call that night. I waited all day for your call. By the time I was ready for bed, I had not heard from you. As I crawled into bed thinking that I would never hear from you again, the phone rang. It was you. You said, "hello". I said, "when do I get to see you again?"