When Jonny Met Mary

The year was 1974. Nixon had just resigned the presidency, ABBA scored their first hit with Waterloo and Mel Brooks released one of the funniest movies ever made. There I was, the least sophisticated 10th grader ever to grace the halls of East Meadow High School. It had been only one year since my release from 9 years in a private parochial school and I was still solidly dorky and obnoxiously saved.

knock, knock
"Who's there?"
"Have you heard the good news about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?"
SLAM!

Not funny you say? Yah, I know. *shudder* Yes, I was a born again teen who went evangelizing door to door. Surprised? Remind me to tell you about the time my Lutheran church was taken over by a cult leader. That one's a laugh riot.

But I digress. It was 1974 and I was sitting in Geometry class being my usual nerdy and uncool self when in walks what was obviously the cutest (and coolest) boy I had ever seen. His hair was long, his jeans were patched and he had a Harpo Marx keychain hanging from his belt loop. He was irreverent and dangerous. I just knew it. Be still my 14 year old heart! He sat in the row next to me, completely unaware of my presence. And thus began the year of THE CRUSH. I pined, I dreamed, I doodled his name with mine, I memorized his schedule and behaved in a way that would surely violate current stalker laws in all 50 states. He was bemused, but unfazed. I was crushed, but I was used to it. Unrequited love was my theme song for many years. I was also pining away for Elton John and he never returned my love either. But I digress. It was clear it was not meant to be. Jonny left school (so wise, so dangerous) and I moved on to crush #876.

Fast forward to October 14, 1984.

A wedding?! How did we get to a wedding? Well, that's what fast forwards are for. If I went into all the details I'd surely exceed my bandwidth. What happened in that decade you ask? What got us from unrequited love to 'Till death do us part'? We had it all. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, flirting, dating, multiple break-ups, bad hair, worse clothes, motorcycles, heartbreak, tears, distance, reunion, laughter and ultimately, finally friendship. A good and lasting friendship. The kind that movies are made about. In fact Rob Reiner pretty much told our story in When Harry Met Sally.

(Rent it. Watch it Tell me what you think.) And while I never actually acted out the Big O in a diner to prove a point, I'm sure I humiliated him in many other ways. And still, he married me. And it stuck! Twenty three years today.
Happy Anniversary friend. Apparently someone forgot to tell us that the 70's are over. Freakin' hippies.