40 years ago my late husband and I began "living in sin". He was fresh out of a divorce from his wife of many years which had produced 4 children. I was fresh out of divorce from my fourth husband. To say we were both a little "iffy" on whether or not this was a wise move, would be an understatement, but what the heck. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And those 4 words seemed to be the basis of the whole relationship.
My son was still in high school and my youngest daughter was in middle school. His wife had kept the house and he had money in his pocket to make a down payment on this house. He had an end dump and I was working for a construction company that he worked for. Lot of strings there but we seemed to have a lot in common. I was freshly out of my second marriage to my fourth husband so with 5 divorces on my resume', he proposed. I accepted with one stipulation: We would live together (in sin) for one year. If we survived that year, we would make it legal.
Now, I never thought of him as a romantic, but being a local gravel/demolition hauler, he spent a lot of time listening to the radio as he drove up and down the road. He came home one night to announce that he had heard the perfect song for us. "Close Enough to Perfect" by Alabama. The lyrics were what he heard and thought it fit me to a "t". I was touched. Kenny was such a simple, black and white person that I could not have found a better song!
"Some times her morning coffee's way to strong. And everything she says, she says all wrong." She's always there beside me, as only a friend would be. She's close enough to perfect for me! Sometimes she gets down and starts to cry, but then again the lady has a right. She's all I ever hoped for, she's all I'll ever need. She's close enough to perfect for me!"
Now, I ask you, could any woman hope for more in a life partner? All my life I had searched for a man who would be my partner. A man who would care for me just like I was with all my faults and phobias. He was the first man I ever met that accepted me just like I was with all my imperfections. And I could trust him.
So one year after moving in with him on December 23, 1983 when the temperature was -15 degrees. we hopped in "Fugi" and drove to Canon City, got a license, found a retired minister in a high rise senior housing and took our vows. We stopped at the donut shop and had a donut and returned home to live happily ever after until death us did part.
So, good morning world. I have been living alone now for almost 20 years. Am I happy? I am not unhappy. Am I lonely? I am alone, but not lonely. I manage to get through the days and sleep through the nights. Do I date? Not really. That would entail dressing up and actually leaving the house. I would like to spend more time with my kids and grandkids, but they are back in Kansas or down in Texas and I have a neurotic cat that hides when anyone comes.
Mother always said memories are better than the actual living, because we can remember things the way we want. So, from my perfect world, to your perfect world...
Peace!
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