Couldn’t go to sleep. Too many thoughts running through my empty head right now. I forgot to set the scene in the last blog. Jeanie is 60 & I am 58. So here we go:

Well, the summer progressed. During the weekdays Jeanie and I would talk 2 or 3 times. Just waiting for the weekends.  Jeanie’s daughter lived with her which was fine. She had a job and 6 boyfriends that she slept/lived with over a 18 month period. On top of all that drama she was/is a former meth head. 90% of her teeth are missing. She is 1/4 Native American so she was/is entitled to those free benefits. We supplied her with all the information to do it. Yet, she had no motivation to follow up and still hasn’t. She would rather sux off of her mama’s tit. The daughter got involved with the last boyfriend and lived with him on & off for 6 months. He was a loser and was just mooching money off of her for his drug habit & truck payment. I found her misusing Jeanie’s debt card and stealing money out of Jeanie’s purse.She just couldn’t see the pattern of abuse to herself and this loser even though Jeanie & I pointed them out. I guess the best way to sum up the daughter is ‘if her lips are moving, she is lying.’

The son is a stand up great guy. Diabetic, could use to lose about 200 lbs. He is asst coach for Jr Hi base ball, football, church deacon, in a Christen band and a great father. We get along fine cuz we are both stubborn and opinionated. But make no bones about it. He has his mama’s ear.

Despite all of that BS, remember blood is always thicker than water.

During all this time my drinking slowly escalated without Jeanie or I realizing it. I never hurt or yelled at her. We went everywhere together. We thought so much alike I would say ‘what would you think about blah, blah.’ She would just smile and give her cute grin and say ‘I’ve been thinking about that also.’ Folks were beginning to think we were telepathic. People would tell us we were the most perfect couple they ever seen. See Jeanie is retired through SSI & I am through SSD so neither of us punch a time clock.

The summer progressed and we were such happy campers so I decided that I would pop the question on the 4th of July weekend. See this would be my 3rd rodeo but I found the right stuff this time.The day approached and I was nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. I wanted to propose  to her in front of her children & grandchildren. But I chickened out. So I asked Jeanie to follow me to the bedroom. She thought she was in trouble. I got on one knee and popped the question. She started crying shaking and felt that she was going to pass out. Of course she said YES. We went out and told the family whom never expected it.

Many plans to be made. Jeanie had told me that she was prepared to leave her small home town and move north where I lived. That sounded great until I thought about it. I called myself a selfish ass. All of her family lives within a stones throw of our house. I couldn’t ask her to move. I have just me & the cat which I got for someone to talk to. Yes, that would be selfish on my part. Besides she lived in a house on 2 acres (and 14 more wooded acres just down the road) that was/is 100% paid for (don’t ask for the details; that’s longer story). We set a date for the wedding that was half way between our birthdays. I wanted to wait to move until I found a local job. Jeanie said she couldn’t wait and that I would find one in her area, there were plenty of jobs around and we had SSI to fall back on. I said ‘look baby; I’m white, male & over 40 it isn’t going to be that easy.’ I’ve always worked and figured I would get bored setting around the house. Boy, that was an understatement. Its now 2 years and 48 resumes later and here I set but now alone. Pass another beer!

So us and her brother commenced to move my stuff 3 hrs south. Many trips later, by mid October I quit my job and was totally 3 hrs south of where I lived for 10 years. Jeanie’s birthday came and went. Then there was Thanksgiving. We had been blessed by a lot of things. Then the wedding day approached.

I said in part 1 that I would get into the wedding stuff in this blog but this seems like a good point to pause for 24 hours and get some sleep. Till next time……