It was 2009, on the day of Dave’s college graduation. A girl he knew from one his classes, (although, admittedly, not especially well) sent him a message as he was packing up his dorm to move out…
“Hey, can I come up and say goodbye?” Erica asked.
“Of course.” He knew he liked her, and had tried to flirt with her, but he didn’t really think she had any interest in him. Especially not on the last day of his college career, when it was just as likely he may never see her again.
She came up to the room, said she just had a minute because her parents were waiting in the car, and gave him a big hug. That would have been plenty surprising on its own. But as she pulled away, she hit him with an absolutely, unforgettable, life-changing kiss.
Of course, he didn’t know it was life-changing at the time. Especially since it was followed by a quick goodbye. Dave thought it was just a nice, very unexpected, surprise.
A lot happened over the next year,
as Dave and Erica carried on, each along their own path. There were moves back and forth, both from school to home, and for Dave, even across the country. Then, during the fall semester of Erica's sophomore year, they reconnected. They talked and flirted, sent each other song lyrics and movie quotes, until finally, they decided to take a chance on each other. And it really was a chance… Dave had just enlisted in the Navy and was going to boot camp a week later. He was eventually stationed in Groton, Connecticut.
The next few years would have been hard on any couple, let alone one just starting out. A weekend or two a month together, after a three, or sometimes six, hour drive, for many wouldn’t be enough to form a real relationship. And then deployment came. Over seven months apart. There is no cell service on an underway submarine. E-mails were infrequent and phone calls even more so. It was definitely the hardest of times. But they made it through. Not only through deployment, but through the rest of the Navy days. Until such time when Dave, as a civilian, was free to move to Maryland, where he and Erica could finally really be together.
The years since the move have been full of love and adventure. Wild ponies and wilder pups, family vacations and Atlantic City nights. Beaches and concerts, tropical islands and snow capped mountains. And after what, to many, may have seemed like an eternity, it was on one of those snowy mountains that Dave, after thinking about everything they had shared, asked Erica to keep sharing, keep smiling, and keep loving each other forever.
So yes, it started out with just a kiss, but it’s become so much more.
Here's to happily ever after.
