Monday, February 16, 2009

"So, how did you two meet?"

East coast prep school/business school workaholic boy.

Midwestern public school/State U not-quite-so-serious girl.

It's a question my husband and I get asked a lot. I think what people really want to know is more along the lines of, "Why are you two together?" He's been serious about school, life, everything from the day he was born. Not so much me. 

He would answer the question, "At work, where else?" but that's only half the story. 

I met him semi-fresh out of college. My cousin gave me a job as a marketing assistant for his company that sold software to the plastics industry, which always reminded me of The Graduate. I was thankful for this job, as the pickings were slim back in 1993, and it took me from Missouri to sunny California, near L.A. 

Only it wasn't so near. Ever heard of the Inland Empire? No? Let's just say there won't be any episodes of The Real Housewives of the Inland Empire anytime soon.

Soon I learned that a job in plastics just wasn't for me. For one, I didn't really understand how it all worked. There were computers, there were these huge machines, and something called resin. That's about all I can say. And I desperately wanted to move to the Big City, the City of Angels, where all dreams come true! Only...doing what? I hadn't exactly torn up the marketing world with my plastics experience. Advertising was cool, maybe I'd give that a shot. But I needed to pay the bills like, now. So, I decided (temporarily!) to temp. 

And that's how I met my husband. I was his temporary secretary while someone was out on maternity leave. I was undoubtedly the WORST secretary in the history of office work. Seriously, I wouldn't wish me on anyone. For starters, I couldn't type. Oh sure, I'm fast now, but then? Pbbbtt, forget about it. I don't know why the temp agency ever hired me. My poor boss (yes, him!) would go into my files after I left for the day and correct my many mistakes. 

He was kind of shy, but still, I could tell he dug me. We flirted at the office, but I had to make the first move and ask him out. I told him my secret: that I wasn't really a secretary. I was a writer. Still working on that one.

Thank god I found a job in advertising and eventually left, because my future in office administration was bleak. 

So how about you? How did you meet your SO? Or , if you don't have one, your best friend? 

17 comments:

Amy said...

English class, our junior year in high school. Started dating as seniors, made it through college (with 3 breakups) and married at 25. So...we've been together more than half our lives. Yikes!!

WendyCinNYC said...

Aw, high school sweethearts! I love that.

Debra Lynn Shelton said...

After dropping out of college at CU Boulder, I moved from Colorado to California to start a band with Chuck's best friend. The rest, as they say, is history. Everybody loves this story. It's the non-fiction part of my fiction book, "Sparks Fly Sometimes.";-)

Angie Ledbetter said...

In a very crowded C&W bar, I saw him across the room in his white cowboy hat and told my twin sister, "I'm gonna marry that guy." Weird, huh?

Jewel Allen said...

I met him through the international club at college. My first impression was "Ick, squeaky clean. Moving right along."

And then I re-met him when George W. Bush declared war on Iraq the first time. I had a cast on my ankle and I couldn't very well hobble away. We got talking and I realized he was AMAZING :-)

We invited Bush to our wedding. He didn't come but he sent a nice note :-)

WendyCinNYC said...

Debra--Hopefully, we'll all be able to read about it soon!

Angie--I guess you just knew. How sweet.

Pink--Thank goodness you broke your ankle. No escape.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

That's such a great story!

We met salsa dancing in 2000. I had met a friend of his who took me out to the clubs, then we were friends for four years before we ever went out (during which time he got married & divorced). Now we've been together almost five years.

Anonymous said...

I met my ex when I was 18 and working in a Fotomat booth. Remember those? The boothes sat in the middle of parking lots.

Anyway, my ex was 31 and an attorney. He'd drop off 35mm film. I'd ask him if he wanted "glossy" or "flat."

When people asked how we met he'd say, "Through business."

LOL

Techincally that isn't a lie. The photos were used for trial cases.

Natalie Willis said...

We never dated, but, always knew each other. A "foregone conclusion" is what he calls it. Romantic, ain't he? Married when I was still practically in diapers at 19 and been married 18 years, so I guess it was a good conclusion to draw.
Love,
Natalie

Kathryn Magendie said...

I met my hb at work---he was my boss!*LAUGHING!*

WendyCinNYC said...

Melanie--Salsa dancing sounds much more interesting!

Auria--Aw, you must have been a cute fotomat girl.

Natalie--18 years? That's great.

kathryn--Did he have to fix your mistakes, too?

Smores for Breakfast said...

I love your blog! And, I love how you met your hubby! Even tho my husband and I went to the same college and had a bazillion friends in common we never met until after graduation. We were friends for 4 years before the fated tequilla shot which made me look at him differently! ha! I'll be following your blog! Gotta follow another NYC chica!

WendyCinNYC said...

Smores--Thanks for stopping by! I'm sure tequila shots have brought lots of couples together. Glad yours lasted!

Jen said...

Neat story, Wendy!

I saw my husband after I met him, and didn't realize that I'd met him previously. We first met in the laundry room of our barracks, where I was grabbing my clothes out of a dryer.

We exchanged "Hello's", but nothing really came of it. I saw him a few weeks later at the base club, on country night. He was doing some line dance, and had a black cowboy hat on to go with a wicked grin. He cocked it at me and I was gone.

We still hadn't really met yet. That came about a week later, when he and a bunch of friends came over to our "Q" (common area) to play Hearts. We struck up a conversation, and we spent all our time together after that. I think we knew right away it was something big...we got married a few months later. The people we knew then would be shocked that ten years later, we're still together. *big grins*

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Jen! Your story made me swoon a little. :)

Spy Scribbler said...

I love "meet" stories! I met my husband in a chat room. I said like zero words that night, but I swear to God I just KNEW. I was blown away. I was shocked. I spent three days, staring up in the ceiling, in complete shock.

It took me three weeks to write an email to the man in CA. A month later, he flew from Los Angeles to Cleveland, Ohio to HAVE LUNCH with me. (I was nervous of the whole online dating thing.) Two weeks after that, we spent a week at Christmas in Las Vegas. We met up twice more, and then he moved to Ohio. :-)

colbymarshall said...

we were high school sweethearts. Yeah...it's disgusting, I know. '-)