Our Love Story: Part Two

This is part two of a three part series on how we met. Catch up by reading part one and three.

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Last time, I left you standing at the doorway to Duncan Dining Hall on Texas A&M University’s campus wondering why I hadn’t asked out that handsome fella.

Welllll, after consulting with my roommates, we decided the best way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. I made a batch of microwavable brownies (because dorm kitchens) with a “will you go with me to the Chi Omega Biker Ball” note on the top of the brownie box. After leaving it in the guard room with five very hungry cadets, I prayed it would make it intact to his dorm room.

A half hour after delivering it, my dorm room phone rang and the deal was sealed. Much squealing ensued.

That Saturday’s date party was a Harley-themed Biker Ball. And, if memory serves me correctly many a personnel meeting (meaning some of my fellow sisters took the theme just a tiny bit too far) was had. Nevertheless, it ended up being a fantastic evening for me and the future husband. He went all out, affixing tattoos to his arms, finding that Guns ‘n Roses shirt and putting on the ‘do rag. Then there was me with my big bow, cut off shorts and permed hair. Hey, I tried. Grunge motorcycle babe I am not. I will love this photo forever, and ever. After the party, we headed back to my dorm room to drink Clearly Canadians and chat. Do people even drink those anymore? They were all the rage in 1992. My RA (resident advisor) poked her head in the door around 1am to remind us that boys had to hit the highway. So, we said our goodbyes, another side hug, and I hoped for a phone call.

There was no Facebook wall to stalk, no texts to obsess about, no tweets to look for. Nope, I had to wait for the old-fashioned landline to ring. It was crickets for a couple of weeks. Then, Switch-Off-for-Kickoff happened, where the girls are encouraged to ask the guys out for an A&M football game. I bravely dialed his number, got up the courage to ask him to the game and heard, “Hey, can you hold on for a second?” CLICK. This was in the days of call waiting. After a long minute, another CLICK. Long story short, the girl on the other end of the phone got the date, not me. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of call waiting, and I was devastated. But, I rallied and went to the game with my roommate, determined to have the best time possible.

That is, until I spied Scott and his date just four rows ahead of me. And the score was 77-0, A&M. If you’re unfamiliar with Aggie traditions, when our team scores on the field, you “score” with your date with a kiss. Yeah. That did not end well. Let it be known the only time I’ve ever left a game early was this one. It was just too much to watch.

At that point, I all but gave up.

The fall semester powered on and so did my classes. I Q-dropped one, nearly failed another and squeaked out a measly 2.1 my first semester. Not my best semester grade-wise, but I was having a blast! With just a few weeks left in the school year, we had one final football game and one last sorority formal. At the extreme urging of my sorority sister (who would later serve as my maid of honor), she said, “Call and ask him out, Kathryn. If he says no, move on. But if it’s a yes. Who knows what will happen. Just don’t walk away with regrets.”

And so I picked up the phone and made the call.