{our sweeter song} part 4

her story:

it was mid-september, 2000. i had been on my own for two exciting weeks and had just celebrated my nineteenth birthday. i'd been in school for several days and developed some immediate, important friendships. i was enjoying my new adventure, despite my car pooping out on me and needing a quick fix. i was also scoping out a job at a local scrapbooking store that was only two blocks from where i was living. it seemed like the perfect fit {come to find out, it became a second "family" for the next 8 years}.


it had been a very busy two weeks.

in the midst of a busy month, i found myself in the classroom on a sunny afternoon getting directions to the college volleyball game which was later that night. i was new in town and didn't know my way around what they called "the valley". his name was mark. he was nice enough and was busy sketching a map that really meant nothing to me. as i was obviously confused as i looked over this smallish piece of scrap paper, another boy approached me with a little assistance. he offered to pick me up that night and escort me to the game. he happened to be on the team. as awkward as i may have felt being offered a ride with someone of the opposite sex that i didn't know too well, i did recognize him. his name was jacob and i had met him earlier at orientation. even though i'm sure we exchanged a few hi's, he was still, just an acquaintance. he was very soft spoken and seemed 'safe' {ie. i think my dad would have approved the ride}. he wore a pair of khaki pants and a red billabong t-shirt. his shoes were sporty, he was definitely athletic. his complex was so dark skinned that i thought he was of different nationality. his hair was cut real short, buzz-like. to say the least, he was tall, dark and...cute {remember, we were only 19}.

i told him that he didn't have to go out of his way to pick me up. i found out later that he lived thirty minutes in the opposite direction. he insisted. i also warned him that i had made possible plans to go shopping with my brother that evening and i might not even be home yet. he still insisted that he would stop by and if i was home, great. if i wasn't, not to worry about it.

i remember the conversation like it was last week.

i am so grateful that i was home that night. that i actually forgot about going shopping with my brother in those few short hours. not that i was particularly 'excited' to take a ride with this boy, but i was excited to go to the volleyball game. i remember on the ride over, anticipating, just for a second, the arrival at the gym...what would people think with us arriving together? i didn't want to leave the wrong impression in the minds of my new peers.

but i would have never anticipated, never expected, the ride itself. it was 40 minutes that would change the realm of my life forever. it was 40 minutes that the Lord had already ordained in His perfect {and beautiful} timing. i would have never expected to feel so comfortable with someone i had just met, let alone driving for miles in his car {i was deathly afraid of dead air silence}. i would have never expected to laugh so incredibly much with someone i barely knew, but left with the feeling i had known him forever. i wouldn't describe my feelings as an initial "crush"...i just knew, i felt, that he was going to be the kind of person, the kind of friend, that i could depend on.

we talked about our futures, singularly, and what we saw in the big picture. we laughed at our outspoken and obvious similarities. we valued the same things in life. we both came from great families. we seemed to balance each other out in hobbies and interests. it was most definitely the beginning of a new friendship that could not be ignored.

as the night progressed into a group hangout, we seemed to stick together and the fun factor just grew. i remember he let me drive his car on the south hill {he had never let anyone else drive his red sporty car before}, stick-shift and all. that made our bond deepen a little more and i was feeling quite 'special' at this point. the group ended up at a local perkins restaurant for a midnight snack and the big hand of the clock was quickly approaching 1 am. i found out later that he was supposed to be home by 11pm.

the news he had for his parents the next morning was just enough to wipe the slate clean. but again, i had no idea what he was sharing with his family just on the other side of the sunrise.