SOS: AFTER THE M.F.H ENDED PART 3

Welcome everyone to another edition of Soap Opera Sunday



For SOS rules, see brillig or kate...for other SOS tales go see Abish. If you missed the beginning of this saga...here is part 1 and part 2.......

When last we spoke, I had just been asked out by Sam...

I sat there at my desk frozen...unsure

how to respond. I felt a mixture of

excitement and extreme fear all rolled

up in a big knot in my stomach. A big

part of me wanted to run away

screaming...but there was that

persistant little "what if?" in my head.

After all, isn't this what I signed up

for in the first place? To force myself

to take a chance even if it meant

risking yet another broken heart??

I couldn't help myself...I had to ask

Sam if he really meant what he said

or was just pulling my leg. In my
normal "put-myself-down-self-

depricating" manner, I asked Sam

if he had actually LOOKED at the pic

I emailed him. He reassured me that

he had...and that he did infact like

what he was seeing.

The rest of the conversation that

night was a big blur...I was almost

giddy with excitement . By the end

of the evening, Sam had asked me

out for Saturday night. I wanted to

go so badly but explained that it

would all depend on whether or not

I could find a sitter for my gremlins.

I promised to let him know the next

evening and we said good night.

Although I was really hoping I

would be able to go, by the next

morning self doubt had crept in

and I began to think that maybe

it would be better if I couldn't go,

after everything FH had put me

through (if you missed that story
see here)...it was so hard for me

to open up and trust anyone

again....let alone a man

I had only just met and hadn't even
talked to face-to-face.

After much worry and doubt,

I decided to let fate run it's course...

IF I could get a sitter, I would go....

IF Sam didn't back out, I would go....

IF I didn't have a heart attack from

fear and drop dead, I would go...

those were some pretty big IF's.....

I called my sis Thursday night and

explained what was happening...

and she was TOTALLY against me

meeting Sam....she was convinced

that he was a psycho stalker that

was going to do his worst and I

would never be seen alive again.....

She almost convinced me not to go,

but once I put my foot down, she

agreed to watch the gremlins. Her

thinking was that I would be

murdered by Sunday morning so

at least the gremlins would be safe

with her (althoughthey would be

motherless according to her....)

Okkkkkk so I had a sitter lined up....

the first obstacle was cleared and

so far I was off and running........

That evening (Friday night) I

waited anxiously for Sam to come

online....I figured this was his

last chance to back out so it was

gonna be now or never......

As Sam signed on and greeted me,

he started the conversation asking

if I had been able to get a sitter to go

out for dinner and seemed genuinely

happy to hear that our date was on.

We didn't talk too long that night but

finalized our arrangements.

Sam offered to come pick me up but

I didn't feel comfortable giving him

my address...so we just agreed to

meet at the restaurant. I thought I

was being cautious but I didn't even

think about the fact that I had given

him my number so he could call if

needed (still thinking he might

change his mind at thelast

minute) With this information and

my name, all he would have needed

was a phone book to find me if he

HAD been the pshycho ax

murderer that my sister was

protecting the gremlins from..lol.

Anyway....that was the 2nd road block

cleared.Sam and I were all set to meet

the next night and we both had early

plans the next morning so we said our

good nights....while I tried not

to think the worst or panic...

It was a good thing that I had to work

Saturday morning as I was grateful to

have the distraction. If I had been off

and at home, I think my nerves might

have given me a stroke.

The bad part about working was that

I was so goofy and distracted, I kept

making stupid mistakes and finally

got in trouble from my boss. Normally,

this would have upset me

but I had bigger worries...

(maybe this would be a good point to

remind you all that I had been away

from FH for almost 8 years and I had

not had a single date in all those years...

and I hadn't really dated before FH

either...so even though I had

an ex-FH and 2 gremlins, when it

came to dating I was still in the minor

leagues....lol).

I was a TOTAL basket case all day.

As the time came closer, I got so

nervous I couldn't stop shaking....

There was a scene running through

my head like a bad dream....I could

see myself walking in the restaurant

and Sam wouldn't be there...he just

wouldn't show up...or worse yet,

he would be there and would

start laughing and say "gotcha!!!"

the second I walked in the door.

I mentioned my date to one of the

gals at work who took a page from

my sister and tried her best to

convince me it was all a mistake and I

shouldn't go....I must admit all the

negativity was NOT doing my self-doubt

any good at all...

Somehow I made it through the

day...got ready and all too soon, it was

time to go to the restaurant...

When I got there, I stood outside,

instead of rushing in.....It was still

winter and the air was so cold it hurt

to breathe it in....and although the

restaurant was busy, the cold
rushed people inside quickly, so I

was alone outside.

I lingered there....pacing and trying

to take a few deep breaths....I had a

million thoughts racing through my

head....I was shaking uncontrollably

but I knew it wasn't from the cold....

As I continued to pace, I began to

think I might actually be sick to my

stomach....

After what seemed like forever,

but was infact only a few minutes,

I managed to summon my courage

and I walked through the first door...

I paused and again tried to catch

my breathe before pulling the handle

on the second of the two doors.....

then with one swift movement
I strolled through the door and

entered the restaurant,trying to

look confident (not sure

if I succeeded or not).

As I stood in the doorway, I

suddenly wondered if I would

recognize Sam......after all, I had

only seen his picture once (well

maybe 2 or 3 times..lol).

I looked off to my right and

immediately I saw him waiting

at the bar...and at that moment,

I looked into the eyes of the man

that would melt my heart,

help heal old wounds and would

change my life forever.........

As always, to be continued (next Sunday).........