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| Ken and I, about 9 months after we started dating |
When Ken and I met, the last thing on my mind was getting married.
The summer I turned twenty-six, I was pretty depressed. Basically I just went to work, exercised, and drank. I went through a string of men that I met at bars. I believe I was just so desperate for human touch that I was willing to do anything to feel close to someone. These random hook ups did nothing except make me feel more lonely than ever. It wasn't what I wanted. I knew that I wasn't living my life the way I knew I should.
Once September rolled around, I decided I was going to focus on what was important to me. I started going to my niece's and nephew's soccer games every Saturday morning.
Ken was A2's coach for a 9-10 year old team. My nephew was also on his team. I noticed Ken and how good looking he was. I just assumed he was married because what kind of single man coaches soccer. So I pegged him as a nice piece of eye candy that I could check out occasionally while cheering on my nephew. One day, after a game, we did actually talk to one another about our hometowns and where he went fishing. More like a good teasing than actual talking. That was our only interaction until the end of the season.
The last game day was on October 21st. I decided, since I had been out late the night before, that I was going to just sleep in. It was a good plan except the phone rang at 7:00 am. My sister was calling to tell me to come to the last games. They were playing the championship tournament and I should be there because I had gone to all the other games. I still balked at the idea of going. Then my sister said, "[Your nephew] has something to tell you." Since I couldn't convince her to tell me over the phone, I told her I would be down there as soon as I could.
I was a hot mess. I don't even know if I washed off the makeup that I forgot to wash off the night before. I threw on this horrible faded Trix (yes, the breakfast cereal) tshirt that belonged to my little sister, a hoodie, jeans, my raincoat and a scarf. Add on top, a Matt Kenseth baseball cap and I was ready to go. My niece's game was at eight and I would be about five minutes late.
When I arrived, I bought a hot chocolate and searched for my family on the sidelines. As soon as I walked up and said hello, my nephew whipped around and, with a big grin on his face, said, "My coach likes you." I didn't know what to say. It's not everyday that I have a nine year old attempt to find me a date. Not to mention that I was embarrassed. Why embarrassed? I have no idea why. Probably because I like to keep my love life hidden from my family.
After my niece's game (a loss), we had about a half hour before my nephews game started. I decided I was going to play with my niece and started chasing her around on an empty soccer field. Ken must have really wanted to talk to me because he came over by us and started teasing my niece. My sister then called her away and I was left standing there with Ken. Awkward doesn't begin to describe how I felt standing there, not knowing how to talk to a man that I knew nothing about except that he went fishing in Rhinelander and didn't like driving through the town I went to high school in.
We talked a little bit. I can't remember what we said. Probably just getting to know you type stuff. Then he looked at his watch and said, "I have to go coach the next game but will you wait around for me after the game?" Obviously I assented or I wouldn't be telling this story today.
Two games were played back to back. My nephew's team won both of them. I cheered loudly as any good aunt should. In between games, I remember that my sister said something along the lines of, "Don't worry about who that woman is. It's just his ex-wife." I wasn't even looking at Ken then but there was a short, blond woman talking to him. I didn't care. My sister was pretty keen on making sure I knew that he was absolutely single though.
Once the game was over, I talked with my sister's family a little bit before they finally left. Ken finished putting away equipment and then came over and talked to me.
Remember how I said I only put a raincoat on? Big mistake. It was freezing and I was shivering and trying desperately to not let my teeth chatter. Ken was talking on and on, asking questions and I don't remember a thing he said. Later, he told me he thought I wasn't interested in him because it seemed like I just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. I did, but only because I was freezing. Finally, he brought our conversation to an end by saying he needed to get A2 home and check on A1, who went home earlier with a migraine. He then asked if it would be okay to call me? Of course. We exchanged phone numbers and thankfully, I could finally get into my nice warm car, head home, and take a hot shower.
