The warm rays of sunlight caress his cheek through the glass of the car's window. The afternoon was beginning to fade into evening, but there was a certain palpable energy hidden within the calmness. They were returning to his house from a day of socializing with friends and watching a college lacrosse game. He was newly single and certainly not expecting to find a life-long romantic partnership in someone he had thought was firmly in the friendzone. But as the little Chevy Cobalt zipped through the streets of Tampa, their conversation turned toward the future and his best friend revealed that not only was she willing to date younger men, but that she would be excited to have kids one day, if it happened with the right man. Still unsure of whether this was heading where he though it might, he could not help but awkwardly stutter out "wait, am I the right man?" Could this be real? They were firmly just friends. Of course there had been attraction here and there, but it was never more than a fleeting thought because they wanted different things out of life. Right? But here they were, talking about a shared vision of the future, with all the reasons they could only be friends mute or nonexistent. "Yeah, you are." She wryly said, trying to pay attention to the road, with her heart hammering in her chest. "Well, then, let's just get married. I'm serious. Let's do it." And he was. In the briefest of conversations, his whole world had been flipped upside down. He knew that this woman was his soulmate, that she was not only his best friend, already, but that she was beautiful and brilliant, and now she wanted kids and was actually attracted to him too? Why, wait? "Things need to happen first, like dating, for example." she said. She was taken aback by his abrupt forwardness and earnestness. "Well, ok then! Let's date." And thus began a romance to rival the likes of Cleopatra & Mark Antony, Orpheus & Eurydice, Marie & Pierre Curie, Jack & Rose.
A little over a year later, Kim and I celebrated our first anniversary of dating on Valentines day. Kim surprised me with a day trip to Lettuce Lake Park, a local wildlife and nature reserve. We wandered around the boardwalks above the lake and swamps, trying to spot gators or turtles or birds. Mostly, we just talked and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Kim had also surprised me with a picnic lunch of Publix sandwiches (the food we ate on our first date). We sat and watched other young couples milling about the park, playing with frisbees, half-heartedly sneaking sips of wine from bottles donned in paper bags, or just laying down enjoying the warmth of the sun and each other's company.
Later that month, I trekked down to St. Pete beach to finish filming the independent movie I was starring in. The director, my costar, and I spent the early afternoon filming outside of a pizza restaurant that had agreed to let us film on their patio. That evening, we were set to film in the apartment of a friend of the costar. In between shoots, I found myself wandering down to the water and working on some of my coursework for the last semester of classes I would ever take. The final shoot took a while to set up in the apartment that overlooked the water and park where a Blues festival was beginning to pick up some energy. The sultry melodies echoed their way up to the upper balconies where we stood, waiting for the sun to set so we could film. Hours later, the film was finished, the festival had quieted, and the reflection of the moon was shimmering on the water below.
This post may be a bit short, but February is a short month, after all.
A little over a year later, Kim and I celebrated our first anniversary of dating on Valentines day. Kim surprised me with a day trip to Lettuce Lake Park, a local wildlife and nature reserve. We wandered around the boardwalks above the lake and swamps, trying to spot gators or turtles or birds. Mostly, we just talked and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Kim had also surprised me with a picnic lunch of Publix sandwiches (the food we ate on our first date). We sat and watched other young couples milling about the park, playing with frisbees, half-heartedly sneaking sips of wine from bottles donned in paper bags, or just laying down enjoying the warmth of the sun and each other's company.
Later that month, I trekked down to St. Pete beach to finish filming the independent movie I was starring in. The director, my costar, and I spent the early afternoon filming outside of a pizza restaurant that had agreed to let us film on their patio. That evening, we were set to film in the apartment of a friend of the costar. In between shoots, I found myself wandering down to the water and working on some of my coursework for the last semester of classes I would ever take. The final shoot took a while to set up in the apartment that overlooked the water and park where a Blues festival was beginning to pick up some energy. The sultry melodies echoed their way up to the upper balconies where we stood, waiting for the sun to set so we could film. Hours later, the film was finished, the festival had quieted, and the reflection of the moon was shimmering on the water below.
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