A Classic Couple

I was not born on the Fourth of July, but my marriage was. A year ago, after the Fourth of July fireworks were over and the neighborhood had quieted down, something drew me to the personals on Craigslist.

Every time I go in, I remind myself of the good things I’ve found there. I found a webmaster, who’s worked with me for 10 years, the world’s best shih tzu, and a good friend named Warren, who took me to lunch for two years while cancers, neuroma, and other medical issues ate away at him. We remained platonic, and when he passed away he left me his dog Charlie to re-home.

On the Fourth of July, I was lonely and curious. I returned to “Platonic Only,” where I’d met Warren. Nothing piqued my interest.

I was about to close out when a little voice right outside my head said, “Why don’t you just go into ‘Men Seeking Women.’ You don’t have to click on anything. Just see what’s there.”

So I did.

Once again, I found nothing.

I was just about to close out again when the same little voice said, “Why don’t you just click on the one titled ‘Classic.’ You don’t have to respond.”

I liked the title, so I clicked and found:

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1944 classic roadster with many miles left!

Motor hums, transmission’s smooth and and all the gears work!

Smokes a little but the amenities make up for it.

Only two previous owners, very great women.

Come and kick the tires.

Two tone, white with a gray top.

Seeking a new woman owner who knows how to drive a classic!

Please put “classic” in your title for reply.

Thanks

PS> This car is at church every Sunday so if that is a problem with you, this car is not for you.

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I was pretty sure that the author had no idea he’d written an extended metaphor comparing himself to a classic car. I didn’t care. I saw the potential beneath the surface. Besides, his wording made it easy for me to respond and give a hint of who I was, so I wrote:

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Love your ad.

I suppose I’d be a 1949 classic roadster.

Motor hums unless it hesitates. Transmission and gears probably need a road test.

Has never smoked.

Original owner.

Isn’t kicking the tires painful?

Two tone, white with a reddish brown top

This classic roadster could be parked next to yours on Sunday.

Our roads aren’t perfectly parallel. Might make life interesting. =) If anything piques your interest, feel free to write back.

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I did not know that the writer had just finished his annual church campout, nor did I know that a disaster date and her sister had accompanied him.

We e-mailed, talked on the phone, and he made it very clear that he was looking for marriage and not a one night stand before he asked me to dinner. I liked his ground rules. He made me feel safe.

He warned me he was going to make me fall in love with him. I knew better. He couldn’t make me do anything… except change my mind. We were married on February 17, 2012.

Love is amazing. Everybody should try it.