He opened the back door to his car and pulled out a gigantic box. “Oh my goodness” I said. It was a 50″ flat screen TV. Now just 3 short months ago, I had no furniture and nowhere to live remember? I also garbage picked all of my TV’s except once that a friend lent to me while her daughter was away at college. Apparently my tube TV’s weren’t good enough. He said “I know you could use it and that you can’t possibly like watching TV on those things you have. Also….if you want me to watch your movie; Serendipity, then I’m gonna have to watch it on a bigger screen”
We brought the box inside and headed out to dinner. It was a lovely night filled with fun and laughter and holiday spirit. It was going to be Christmas in just two days. And after Christmas he was leaving for a mini vacation for two weeks to the warm sand and sun. At dinner he asks “Want to come with me?” I of course would want to come with him, but I couldn’t. I had a new job, no money and the kids. Whisking off to the sun and sand sounded wonderful in theory, but in practice would be much harder to pull off. So I graciously declined.
He asked if I wanted to meet him at his brother’s house for Christmas dinner. Again, although it sounded great we had traditions of our own and I couldn’t see A) leaving my kids at home on Christmas night or 2) Having him spend that kind of time with them just yet. So again I graciously declined. He seemed a bit disappointed, but not overly so. We headed back to my house, laid on the couch and I feel asleep in his arms. It seemed like day after day and night after night in this short romance I was falling closer, deeper, more into this man. And I liked it. A lot.
The holiday’s came and after our festivities on Christmas Day I get back to my house and both my children announce they are going out with their boyfriends. So now I am the idiot sitting alone on Christmas night. I called Serendipity and asked if the invitation was still open and I’d come up to his brother’s. “Of course, I’ll send a Uber for you” He said sounding excited. The car came within minutes and I arrived to a house where Serendipity was the only one I knew. He came outside to greet me and in we went to “meet the family”
He introduced me to his brother, sister-in-law, nephews, cousins and they just seem to go on and on. I noticed not only in real life but on Facebook as well, the endless amount of family members this man seemed to have. One by one they contacted me, friended me and even started up conversations with me. I was slowly being enveloped by the world of Serendipity. I didn’t realize that they all seemed to be on the edge of their seats hoping, praying that THIS was the girl for him finally. That maybe I could be the one he marries, that he settles down with, that he has a family with. GULP.
I entered the kitchen to speak to his sister-in-law when his brother came in and offered me a glass of champagne. I took it and offered to help set up the long table filled with all sorts of dishes that she had been cooking all day. As I went to sit my glass down on the table, four minutes after I arrived at this woman’s house, the glass hit the side of a dish, cracked, fell, and shattered all down the side of the table with the food on it spilling Champagne everywhere. I WAS MORTIFIED.
I apologized profusely and all she said was “Well, we will never forget the Christmas we met you……..”
