My time

Dave was Italian/Mexican and his temper did not disappoint. I saw the temper he had and I ignored it. Prior to us moving, we went to meet my dad at the local bar in my small town. We ended up finding a table and it was packed with a band. We were having a good time, so I thought. When the bartender, Megan, I grew up with, was the only one there and looked stressed. I decided to help clean off some of the tables, literally just throwing empty bottles in the trash and glasses on the bar for her to wash and reuse. 

I got a few tables cleaned off and took some glasses up to her and she thanked me. By the time I got back to the table, Dave was gone. I was enjoying the band and a few friends when dad told me that Dave had left. I was confused, asked him why, he said he didn’t like seeing me clean the tables. I looked at my dad thinking this was a joke and he was really in the bathroom. It was not a joke, he walked back in the bar just then, so I got up and grabbed more bottles off another table. He gave me a look that made me want to throw a bottle at his head. He walked up all pissed off and said, “I didn’t come out with your dad to watch you work for free”. I tried to explain that the bartender was a friend and just wanted to help her out. He didn’t care, didn’t even try to listen to my reasoning. So, I walked away when he wouldn’t listen to anything I said. I told him to leave if he couldn’t calm down and just talk to me. 

He left and that’s when I should have walked away forever, but then again, I‘m glad I didn’t. This was only maybe six weeks of us dating. So, I sat and stewed for a few hours. Dad and I talked about it and he said, “Ash, don’t let something so stupid stop you from loving him, if you love him, go to him”. That’s exactly what I did, as soon as I knocked on his door, Dave opened it crying. He explained that I was “too good” for these small-town people, that I deserved better. He was my knight and tempered prince. 

Things went so smooth the next six weeks that we got married, exactly three months from the day we met. We eloped at our local courthouse; we had it scheduled a week in advance. We got all the paperwork, even the custody papers completed. Nothin was stopping us! We were so stupid in love, we both jumped with both eyes closed. 

The transition went well; I had the house in order the first week we moved in June. By August, Trey started school and I was itching to get back to work. Not working the 5 months to get the house sold, buy a new house, and move did really well for us. The whole thing seemed too good to be true.

You ever get that feeling of the other shoe about to drop? I did all the time, but never expressed it, superstitious of it coming true. The first few years were blissful, not perfect as we all had to learn to live with each other. Once we bought our “forever home” I thought we would be living like other people I’d envy on social media. We were financially comfortable, so much that we had no debt but the house, pool and cars. I could go shopping anytime I wanted, and spend whatever money I wanted. I never did spurge, but I did go out “shopping” for nothing a lot at the end. I didn’t realize it then that working and “shopping” kept me away from the house. I enjoyed the quiet, honestly I still do!