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"Some Enchanted Evening" Submissions
Set 2
"Some Enchanted Evening" Home
I like to tell people that my love and I met through the classifieds, although my search was not one for a single man, but for a kayak.
After living in MN for over a decade I decided I needed to take the plunge and get a boat of the small, easily transportable kayak type. After exhaustive research, I took the plunge and did an online search for kayaks, called a number listed, and was sweet talked into coming out and at least taking a look at this gentleman's collection of kayaks.
I ended up buying one, not only because the boat was great, but also because the salesman was extremely charming and assured me that he could offer the most personalized service for my purchase. How could I pass that up?
Wanting to further impress me with his vast knowledge of boats, we made a date to go sailing shortly thereafter. On our second sailing excursion, the electrical wires hooked up to the trolling motor on the boat caught on fire. One moment I was thrilling to the ride across the waves, the next I was witness to great billows of black smoke pouring out from close to where I was sitting.
Of course this greatly added to the drama and excitement of our union, while also offering a test to gauge how well we both withstood stress under considerable pressure.
And where are we now? We'll be sailing around the British Virgin Islands just in time for Valentine's Day. L'amour, toujours, l'amour.
Michele Pufahl, St. Paul, MN
Michele's story was chosen to be retold at the live show in Worthington, Minnesota, on Friday, February 14, 2003. Read the script.
My roommate and I decided that the walls of our Kenwood apartment needed a fresh coat of paint. Having been fraternity roommates in college, we knew just what to do: we announced a painting party!
When the day arrived it was unseasonably sunny and warm for late September — a lovely day, in fact — and nobody came, except for our friend Denise who arrived with her new friend Mary.
While the three of us conversed idly, Mary pried open a can of paint. She went to work diligently and cheerfully, explaining that she wanted to finish the job and get outside to enjoy the beautiful day.
In those first few minutes, I was hooked by Mary's energy and enthusiasm. We started dating that same week, and I came to realize that Mary's positive attitude extended to all facets of her life.
Six months later we were married, eight years later we had four sons, and in March we will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Life may be short, but thanks to Mary, our lives are full indeed!
Gary O'Brien, Minneapolis, MN
When I was in 9th grade, I went to a party at the house of a friend. Her older brother crashed the party with a friend. I thought the friend was cute and introduced myself. We talked for a long time and ended up dating for a few months. Now, when you are 15 years old, relationships, as a rule, do not end well and this was no exception. For the next year or so I went out of my way to be rude and unpleasant whenever I saw him. This grudge got a little too heavy to carry, and so I gave it up. When my senior of high school rolled around, I was completing my Christmas cards to my friends when I found myself with one leftover card. I wondered what to do with it, when the thought came into my head that "I'll bet Mike doesn't know that I don't hate him any more." I filled out a card with a generic message, inserted a candy cane, and gave it to mutual friend to pass along. I promptly forgot all about it.
In March of the following year my phone rang, and lo and behold, it was Mike, who had just that day received the Christmas card from our friend who had discovered it at the bottom of his book bag. We chatted for a while, and decided to get together. Seven years, and a few break-ups and reunions later, we were married. And our friend, whom I am so thankful didn't decide to just throw the card away when he found it, served as our best man.
Krista Denn, Brooklyn Park, MN
I met my husband, John, through the death of someone we were both close to. Tom was my fiancé, and Tom was also John's best friend.
Three weeks after Tom's death, John called and asked if I wanted to go out for a "bowl of soup". I said sure, but let's do it on Tom's birthday, which was only a few days away. That's when our own story began. We spent the summer mourning Tom together, and singing the folk songs that he and John spent 30 years singing & playing together. Within a few months, we were best friends, and already couldn't imagine life apart from each other.
We were married a year later, and have already had seven and a half years of absolute joy together.
Tom is still with us. And we blame him for everything.
Jean M. Bradford, Minnetrista, MN
My wife and I met twice for the first time. The two of us met for the second time when a group of friends were gathering for a prayer group. We became acquainted at that time and later started dating at my wife's persisting upon a relationship.
The very first time we met I was in the dorm room with my girlfriend. We were enjoying one another's company when the door opened and we both looked up. In walks my girlfriend's roommate and another woman. The other woman and I glared briefly at one another. No names were exchanged at the time. We all wanted to continue with our own activities.
It was years later when my wife and I started dating that we determined that she was the other woman in this story.
When we are asked how we first met, we sometimes will describe the first time or the second first time depending upon who the listener is.
Mike Lamb, Avon, MN
As a college freshman during a break at the student union a friend asked me to be the fourth for a bridge game. I was not introduced to my partner until after the first hand. The first thing he said to me was, "You are the worst bridge player that I have ever met." He claimed that he still held that opinion thousands of bridge games and 36 years later.
Kay Fulp, Wahpeton, ND
During the summer of my 9th grade year, I went to a church camp called Lutheran Island Camp (actually on a peninsula.) I went with a girl friend from my church. There were about 44 girls and 11 guys. The first day we arrived, I remember going to the girls cabins and saying hi to them as they arrived. There was this one pretty but quiet girl that caught my eye.
On Monday night, I used my scouting skills and gave a "night sky" talk about the stars to several girls and guys.
During the first days, my room mate kept hanging around with me and the girl from my church. She seemed to like the attention, so I finally said, "If you like her so much why not just tell her and I'll find someone else to be my girlfriend."
On Tuesday night I asked that nice quiet girl out for a private star talk. We sat for hours on the beach looking at stars and talking. I kissed her for the first time that night. We spent a wonderful week together and when we returned to our home towns, we kept in touch.
Hundreds of letters and visits later after seven years (to the day we met) I popped the question. We've been happily married since and now are looking forward to many more years of fun as our kids finish college and strike out on their own.
Of course, we made sure our kids went to a good Lutheran Bible camp each summer!
Scott Walcker, Marine on the St. Croix, MN
I had gone to a GLBT-related event through the law school I attend. As a 3rd year it seemed appropriate, and as a co-chair for the group, a necessity. Outward appearances don't instantly 'qualify' me as a lesbian, so it was easy to hide from the pain others had endured for all lesbians over the years, including me.
It wasn't until my course in Constitutional Law Liberties that I found myself outraged over the prejudice and tired of my hidden identity, determined to overcome the very behavior I loathed in others: fear of the perceptions of others. I decided to get more involved and become less afraid of my own insecurity around other people and their predilections for hate and dislike, so I jumped on the stage and joined the cast. I had been out for 12 years, but now I was really out.
So there I was, with another female friend from school,
sitting on the porch in front of Lake Calhoun. There was
some discussion beginning, regarding a young woman, a
1st year at the same law school, who had sent emails to
several of us. Her user name came up as "Randy Mullet",
and after a few minutes, the conversation turned to her
and what she must look like with an identifier like that.
We imagined a stereotypical masculine woman with a short-long
hockey haircut (you know, business in the front and party
in the back), straight out of Minnesota athletic folklore.
The type of woman who stirs the nightmares of parents
who have heard those frightening words from their daughters:
"Mom and Dad, I'm gay." I took my smile, my image and
my drink and nestled on the couch facing the lake, hoping
she would in fact arrive. It would be interesting to meet
someone so sure of herself, with no regard for what others
thought of her or her name.
While in brisk conversation with a few others, a woman
appeared up the steps, on the porch and in my line of
sight. She was radiant, and I was charmed. Of course,
it was "Randy Mullet", a.k.a. Sara, absent obvious
"gay credentials". She looked like she had just stepped
off the cover of Vogue, but with more taste, class, and
sans makeup. She joined us, assumed I was a partner to
my female companion, and so our conversation stayed its
course and we talked about biking, law school, and trivial
party subject-matter. She was noticed by all, and for
good reason. She was funny, attractive, smart, energetic,
athletic, feminine and out of my league. I left with my
friend, not considering anything beyond work the next
day. Several weeks later, looking for a fresh experience
and a few laughs, I emailed Sara to see if she wanted
to meet me and some of my coworkers for drinks. Fresh
from moving furniture, she again looked fabulous, and
I was again blown away. We continued our evening at another
locale and really hit it off. Little did I know who she
would become to me.
Since that night, and the frightful, yet exciting dating
period that always follows, Sara has moved into my heart
and into my apartment, and what was once out of my league
is now permanently in my life. I have never known the
love that I feel for this woman, nor can I imagine that
evening on Lake Calhoun not having taken place. I have
discovered that oftentimes our lives are lived in black
and white, and it is only when someone like Sara comes
into it that we realize that the color has been absent.
I am always thankful when I reflect back, that I went
that night.
In a conversation that took place shortly after we started dating, Sara and I both realized that we both almost passed on the party. I was going to go for a run, and she wanted to avoid a room full of people unknown to her, and her inability to conform to a stereotype that is often misguided, even within our own community, as exemplified in our joking about her perceived identity. The irony is that this person, who at first was thought to be comfortable with her masculine email ID, turned out to be afraid of her own femininity and the impact her looks would have on her acceptance among lesbians. Not only have I found someone to paint my nails with, but I picked up a legally unrecognized fiancé in the process.
We do everything together, from sports to working out to studying. She is sensitive, trustworthy, reliable, loyal, and loving. To quote Sark, she is 'rare and wondrous'. We are engaged and looking to officially commit following our graduations from law school in 2003 and 2004.
Deborah Arndell, Minneapolis, MN
SWM, 6'2", 170 lbs....ahhh, the most romantic words ever written. Who needs Shakespeare, Byron or Keats when you can have Tom Karp as published in the Twin Cities Reader!
My friend and I would read these ads, laughing, wondering about who would advertise for a date. On a dare she would pick one for me and I for her. Something about Tom's ad called out to her, so I called him. I was hesitant but she was insistent that he was someone I could like. We met for dinner (I was too hungry to just meet for coffee). We talked, laughed (I even spit a piece of salmon out of my mouth from laughing too hard). There was a 2nd date and then a 3rd....
We have been married 6 1/2 yrs and have 2 wonderful boys. As we get lost in the day to day business of our lives I need to remember more the excitement of meeting him the first time. Is he a psycho? A stalker? If I don't return from our date in time, my friend will have to retrace my steps. Instead, I was smitten. He was cute. Broad shoulders. Big smile. Nice laugh. He was interesting. He was a normal guy. He is still all those things and more.
JoAnn Verweij, St. Paul, MN
Yippee skippee! Joel and I met in a community recreation adult volleyball group in 1984 at Jefferson Elementary on Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis. I actually started going to the class with a different guy, Terry Grant (yes, that's really his name)! He dropped out after a couple weeks and I kept going.
Joel, my now husband, was one of the few lively characters
having fun on the team. Most of us were fairly Midwestern,
quiet and polite at least at the beginning. After the
games we would take turns having everyone over for beers,
ya know. We always did stuff in a group until one night
I was transferring MTC buses downtown from the University.
I was crossing Hennepin and saw this guy in a heavy wool
coat carrying 2 suitcase things — later I learned
that they were a trombone and a sax for he was going to
a jazz band class on West Bank with Steve Kimmel. As we
were crossing Hennepin, I grabbed his big arm, "Hey, I
know you!" We talked, he was having friends over, (some
from the volleyball group) later that night for his homemade
lasagna! So I went, it was fun, and that was the night
of our first kiss! Ever since, we have our regular anniversary,
and our "Lasagna Anniversary". We were married 4 years
later at St. Olaf, downtown, May 17, 1986 and the Norwegian
"Suwet en de Mai" parade was going down Marquette as we
gathered before the ceremony. Guess where Joel was? In
the front of the parade with the clowns! Yah, you betcha!
We have had a silly fun life ever since! Have a fun day,
thanks for reading this, Anne.
Anne Keeffe, Crystal, MN
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