Three years is a long time for anything. For example, you could graduate from college in three years if you really wanted to. A band might come together, put out several hit singles and disperse in less time than that.
That’s why when I reflect on my relationship with my girlfriend, it still amazes me that anybody could put up with me for three years.
Our three-year anniversary is coming up on Saturday, so I feel justified in wasting valuable column space talking about my girlfriend. Besides, isn’t it better to read about someone who has a good relationship instead of reading about some dude’s constant search for a sexual conquest?
I met Megan in high school. I’d just transferred to a public, coed high school from the local snobbish prep school. The prep school was all guys and run by a bunch of wacky Jesuits with names so Irish you’d swear a leprechaun would pop out of their Bibles and sing “Oh, Danny Boy.” Naturally, I was a little relieved to leave behind the world of academia and enter the world of public school, where, thanks to Proposition 13, education is strictly prohibited.
I was taking a marine biology class to complete my science requirements when I met Megan. It’s one of those classes where you play with crayons and draw marine life and you get a B. Piece of cake. It was right after lunch, and it became the perfect time to nap, doodle, do homework, etc. It was study hall that fulfilled a requirement. It kicked butt.
Megan sat in front of me, and I poked fun at her a lot. She was a female, something I hadn’t seen in three years at prep school, and she insulted me back. After a couple of backfires in trying to ask her out, we finally started dating in the spring of my senior year.
When I graduated, Meg still had two years left of high school to complete, and since I didn’t want to be tied down when I went away to Party Central, we broke up before I moved to southern California. I believed that it would be better if I detached myself from Northern California as much as possible. I realized the error of my ways less than a month later and flew home to be with her.
Megan is the Ying to my Yang. I’m a bitter, cynical guy whose greatest thrill in life is finding a new thing to hate. Megan, on the other hand, is cheerful, happy and loving. She’s a real-life Tickle Me Elmo ? someone that just makes you smile by being around them.
I really love my girlfriend. She’s been in most, if not all, of the positive moments in my life during the past three years. She’s one of the most special parts of my life, and it’s such an amazing thing to know that she’s been there for me in every way.
So happy anniversary, babe. I love you.
