Amie and Bill
I have had a long series of ups and downs when it
comes to love…. I’ve had some OK relationships, but a lot of really bad
ones, thankfully no marriages…. And Katrina- I can definitely relate to the
RFB’s [Editor's Note: RFB's are
Renn Faire Bunnies - a pox on the relationship seeker] I have had 2
myself…. Plus one who went on
from me to a relationship (without actually ever breaking it off, and I was
pregnant- in some ways I’m glad I miscarried) with a famous SF author AND her
husband, who have since gotten him into professional WRESTLING?!?!!?
He was a comic book artist when I knew him….
Anyway- that's a long time ago…
I have known
Bill for almost 9 years, almost as long as I have lived here.. I met him right
after Dusty (now wrestler) and I split up, but we were just friends….
I had another relationship going and no plans on getting involved with
Bill, he was little, computer geeky (his description) and he had a girlfriend.
We rapidly walked out of each others lives in reality, but he ran a BBS I
hung out on and we’d spend hour taking after I got off work- I worked second
shift, at the time he was looking for work.
Anyway- we started seeing more of each other in person, and rapidly
became some of each others best friends. Many
of our friends tried to convince us to date, but we always refused, besides- for
the first almost 4 years one or the other of us was always dating someone else.
I became a
single foster mom to Cassi (13 at the time- wow- that was 6 years ago now).
We lived out in Boonieville (AKA Milan MI) and since we didn’t have
cable got Toledo TV stations and not Detroit/Ann Arbor.
Bill lived in Ann Arbor proper, and had a satellite dish.
She and I both loved watching Voyager, but I wouldn’t let her stay up
to watch it on Toledo TV, so every Monday night we’d drive into Ann Arbor and
watch it at Bill’s on his dish at 8.
As weeks went on he and I would visit more and more while she got to
watch her few hours of TV on the dish. Reception
back at my place was crappy at best- this was most of what she watched all week.
One night
driving home, she asked me why we weren’t dating (at this point neither of us
was involved with someone else, but we were so comfortable as friends..) anyway-
apparently she said the same thing to him, and the next week, as she watched
something, we went into his office and talked, and wound up sharing an
earth-shattering kiss! One
thing led to another and a little over a year later we were living together and
engaged to be married in another 5 years (can we say we were both a bit
commitment shy? We figured if it
made it to the point of wedding we were safe) and we did it…
happy as ever, still best friends, homeowners and now husband and wife.
He has a
wonderful family, and gets along better then I do at times with mine.
He lets me watch my soaps in peace most of the time, though he won’t
let me stay up and watch if he wants to go to bed, something I can’t argue
about.. he puts up with my craziness and my artistic tendencies and treats me
better then anyone before him ever did, my dad included.
Below you
will find 2 poems I wrote before my wedding and I am also sending (separately) a
picture from our wedding day to be added to this.
A partner
for life’s diverse roads
A place to
go for safety and rest from woes
A hand to
hold you up in bad times
One to share
in the joy of good times
Someone to
be with you through ups and downs
A being that
requires no acting for acceptance
A sense of
comfort and a feeling of happiness
A wish to
share the emotions and feelings
The heart
fills with peace
The body
relaxes
Just knowing
a loved one is present
Provides a
sense of peace and harmony
The blessing
of being in love
Love
When we met I knew I had found a friend
As time went
on, we became close friends, confidants
That
friendship grew and changed over the following years
Until one
day a teen pointed out:
We were together more then most couples
We loved each other, but wouldn’t admit it
Soon after
we started dating
That led to
love
Love that
has grown and changed
Leading to
today
We have
helped each other through stressful times
Built a house
Survived a legal battle
Gotten to know each other’s families and friends like our own
And through
it all
Our love has gotten stronger
Bringing us
to this day
A day we
share with loved ones
Those who
helped us get here
Those who
thought we were crazy
A day to
make our commitment to each other formal
A day to
celebrate
8 years of friendship
4.5 years of living together
5 years of being engaged
All come
together this day
As we signed
the Ketubah
As we wed
each other
This last
isn’t about our relationship, but it shows my emotions as I planned our
wedding. I only used the first of the above poems at our wedding, I decided the
second was too personal.
Garden of Love
Garden of
love
Garden of
life
Sweet
lavender
For devotion
As married
couples share
The scent of
rosemary
To remind
each of us of our love
Beautiful
ivy
To show our
Wedded bliss
And lifelong
friendship
Plants with
meanings
for our lives together.
Amie Ritchie is the author of "Port Charles Review" on Eye on Port Charles.