Chapter 1

1994

She arrived at Emmett J. Carlson high school on the third day of classes, and on that day I fell madly in love with her. Love at first sight? Don’t tell me that there’s no such thing! Oh, and didn’t I say? Today is the third day of classes I alluded to. I closed the distance between us with as much confidence as I could muster and tapped her on her shoulder.

“Hi, I’m Sam,” I said.

“Huh? Who?” she said.

“Sam, Sam Bradshaw: one of the captains on the football team; I play wide-out. Oh, and I’m your future husband,” I said.

“Oh really? I mean a proposal even before our first date?” she said.

“I like to be on top of things. No procrastinator me,” I said.

“Hmm, well, you are handsome, sort of. Okay, you can pick me up after school. I like pizza, so does that work for you?” she said. “But oh, as for the marriage thing, don’t be counting on that one.”

“Oh, okay,” I said. “I’ll meet you in the quad at 3:00, and I’ve got a car. Okay?”

“Good,” she said.

The next six hours were a trial for sure, pure hell actually. But the bell releasing us from academic incarceration did finally ring, and we were outta there.

The ride to Milano’s was quiet. Well, I was still confident, but maybe not as confident as I had been earlier in the day. I pulled into the parking lot and ran around to her side of the car to help her out. She snickered her surprise that I was being such a gentleman.

“Let’s get a table kinda in the back if that’s all right with you,” I said.

“Sure, okay,” she said. I chose a booth next to a window; well, the view of the road traffic was at least somewhat more romantic than the view of the foot traffic.

“So Mister Bradshaw, you fell madly in love with me as soon as you saw me, that about it?” She said.

“Pretty much,” I said. “You don’t know me at all, I understand that, but I promise you that I will do my best to be your very obedient boyfriend and really your eventual hubby.”

“Boy you are smitten!” she said. “Kinda scary actually. Lighten up a little okay. We can date. Like I said you are a cute guy, and I dig it that you are planning to obey me, but too fast is a bit of a turnoff. Okay?”

“Yes, for sure, you got it,” I said. “Oh, but one thing...”

“Hmm?” she said.

“Your name, I still don’t know it,” I said. She laughed.

“Right, my bad.

“Abigail Williams, age 18, senior, straight-A student, dad’s a master-mechanic; mom’s a housewife, just arrived in state, used to live in Illinois. I’m looking to hook up with a guy with a future and who is willing to work hard to get it. I really mean that; I am not into couch potatoes or party boy losers; I want to be very clear about that from the gitgo. So, am I clear, and are you that guy?” she said.

“Absolutely I’m that guy,” I said. “Okay. And like I said before, I’m Sam Bradshaw, also 18, senior, mostly As and Bs, an all-league jock, mom’s deceased, Dad’s an insurance salesman, lived here in Arizona my whole life; looking to hook up with a goddess, and I don’t have to ask if you fit the bill because you clearly do.”

“A goddess, huh,” she said. “Look, Sam, Yes I’m pretty, I know it. I know it and I flaunt it because it’s fun. But there’s a whole lot more to being a person than looks alone. I hope you get that. I will undoubtedly disappoint you in the future and you me as well. That is if in fact we do have any kind of a future ahead of us.”

The pizza we’d ordered almost as soon as we’d gotten our seats arrived and interrupted us: straight cheese.

“So, you’re one of those straight-A nerds?” I said. She gave me a look the basic element of which was “how dare you” stereotype me!

“No, no,” I said, realizing my faux pas, “I meant that as a complement.”

“Yeah right,” she said.

“No really. For me the definition of a nerd is he or she for whom the rest of the world will one day work!” I said.

“Hmm, nice save,” she said.

We ate and talked for a while and made a date for the following Saturday: dinner and a movie. And then there were a few dozen more dates and then we graduated.

Our wedding was held at Saint Genevieve’s. We were 18 and “we’d only just begun” as the lyric went. There were upwards of 250 people in attendance.

I did have a job at Ames Brothers Transport; I was part of the maintenance crew. We did clean up, minor electrical, plumbing when called upon, and just about anything the drivers and the loaders didn’t do. The pay was shit, but the gig itself wasn’t bad, and I got along good with my coworkers.

Yeah I had a job, but one that wasn’t all that appreciated by my wife. A fact that she very often took pains to make abundantly clear to me.

I was a wannabe techie, problem seemed to be that without a degree in something, getting a job in my favorite field wasn’t happening, well, so far it hadn’t. And then it was two years since our hook up, and one year since we tied the knot.

1996

“Don’t worry; I’ll sign on for a couple of extra shifts. Arnold always needs guys to cover for the lazy bums who never show up. We’ll be fine,” I said.

“Sam, you need to get a serious job. Maintenance for a warehouse isn’t going to cut it forever. We just can’t keep going on like we have,” said Abigail. “We’ve been married for over a year, you need to reach your potential. You promised me. If you don’t do something pretty soon, husband mine, I’m going to divorce your pretty pink butt and find a guy who can support my very high maintenance self! Got it!” she said, she was smirking, but she did expect me to get my butt in gear.

“Honey, Abby, I’ll take care of things. Give me a few days without going off on me, and I’ll get it done. Okay?” he said. She nodded. But it was a nod with narrowed eyes.

“Okay, I love you Sam, and I know you love me; and I’m not going to divorce you, but I am going to nag you into living up to your potential. You can count on that. We do need to get to a place where we can see light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

“I know, and you’re right. And, you’re right about something else, goddess mine, I do love you more than my life. I’ll do better. From now on my number two priority will be finding a better job,” he said.

“Good,” she said, “but number two?”

“Well yeah,” I said, as if I were confused that she didn’t get it. “You’re number one.”

“Oh,” she said, and smiled.

I didn’t want to do it, but there seemed to be no choice. I gave my dad a call. He was going to be my fallback position if I couldn’t find a better job than the one that I had. Selling insurance was the absolutely last thing I wanted to do. But, I’d do it to save my marriage. That and only that was a reason for me to be visiting Aaron Bradshaw, sales agent for Lacy Insurance brokers on this particular fall afternoon.

I pulled into the driveway, parked, and sat still for a moment. He didn’t know why I was coming though I had called to let him know I was coming. I figured he might be reasonably happy about my reason once he did find out. He’d wanted me to join him at his firm where he did fairly well overall: $45K or $50K annual: way better than I did with my job. Yeah he’d wanted me to join him, but he’d given up asking. He was going to be more than surprised by my qualified change of heart.

“Son,” he said, opening the door smiling. “Glad you called? What’s up?”

Over the next hour plus and two cups of coffee I let him in on my predicament.

“So basically, you’re saying that unless you find a job doing techie soon, you’ll be asking me to get you on at Lacy Inc.” he said.