** For parts 1 through 4, see posts below.**
During the last several days of August, and into the first days of September, Boss and I hung out together as much as we possibly could. If there was a group activity, we were there. We went out with our friends to several restaurants, we went bowling, and we went to an Aggie football game. I even went to his store to buy tennis shoes from him. You know, because I needed new tennis shoes. Seriously. I did. We also talked on the phone. Every single night. My feelings were growing for Boss with each passing day. Sometimes it felt as if my heart would burst from emotion. But still, we waited. Praying all the while that God was working things out "behind the scenes". I never should have doubted that he was, in a way that was even better than I ever could have imagined.
September 9th, 2002 was a Wednesday. I saw Boss at church services that night, and as he walked me out to my car after service had ended he said that he had a gift for me. He grabbed my present out of his car, and told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands. When I opened them, he had placed a beautiful silver blue and cream journal in them. I opened the journal up to the first page, and on it he had written me a sweet note. He said that he noticed that I liked to write and take notes, and that he hoped he would get the privilege of watching me take notes for a very long time. He said that I encouraged him, and that he loved being around me. His words touched my heart. I was not used to receiving affection so openly from a man. All I had ever really experienced before Boss was games. That journal, and the words that he had written inside, was the most thoughtful gift that I had ever received. I timidly looked up at him and told him I was worried that we would never get to be together like we wanted to be together. That he was never going to be free to move on with his life.
And then he said the most beautiful words that my ears had been aching to hear. He asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him the very next night.
What? A date? I thought we agreed that we would not date until the divorce was final! What did he mean, did I want to go on a date? Did he mean a date, date? These thoughts all came rushing out of my mouth at once. Finally, he told me to be quiet so that he could answer my questions :).He informed me that he had finally gotten a court date to finalize his divorce for the very next morning. After waiting for nine months, he had finally gotten his court date for September 10th, and he wanted to take me out that night to celebrate. In case you were wondering, I said yes. :)
Later that night I was scanning through the journal that he had given me, rereading his words, and thinking about our future together. I was excited to see it unfold, to see it come alive, much like the words that I would soon pen to the page. Our story was finally beginning. And then my eye caught a glimpse of some words about halfway through the journal, as I was thumbing through the pages. I found the page that I had seen, and on it Boss had written me another sweet message. The words read:
Hi Kendra...
I wonder what today is? It is September 9ht right now. Whatever today is, I hope that you had a good day. If not, I hope that coming across these words brought a smile to your face, which I might think is quite cute..... No matter when you are reading this, or how much time has passed, I hope to see you soon!
- Ben
And that was when I knew that I was in love. And that this was real. Boss was supposed to be moving away soon, but I no longer cared about the details. I knew that God would work it all out. And I knew that Boss really did care about me. After all, he had no way of knowing when I would have read those words in the middle of the journal. If I had written one page every single day, and not skipped ahead, it would have taken me months to reach the middle pages. And yet he still wrote that he hoped to see me soon. That meant that he hoped he was still part of my life in the months to come. And that felt good. I went to sleep that night a happy girl. Happy, and in love, thanking God for bringing Boss my way. He was more than I ever could have dreamed of.
To Be Continued.
