"A Deeper Shade of Blue - My Soul Mate" (4/4)

On the Sunday following my break-up with Debi, I was surprised to see her pull up in the driveway of my brother’s house. I met her at the front door with a rather confused look on my face. She asked if she could come in. I hesitated before relenting.

My brother Butch and his family were on vacation, so we were there alone. I wasn’t sure whether that was a good or a bad thing. I tactfully inquired as to the reason for her unexpected visit. She bluntly asked me if I would reconsider my decision to call off our wedding. And with equal bluntness, I said, “No.”

She was persistent, and I could see that she wasn’t planning on leaving any time soon. I remained as patient and as sympathetic as was possible… but firm in my decision. She simply did not take “no” for an answer and trotted out every reason and employed every tactic imaginable. At times, I grew very frustrated and spoke firmly. I never wavered and eventually, reluctantly… she left… and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is it too soon to contact Jeana?”

This was a thought that seemed to emerge each morning as I awoke, and my brain began to prepare for the day. It just didn’t seem right to launch into another relationship mere days after breaking up with my fiancée but man… I had thought so much about Jeana through the years that it almost seemed foolish to wait any longer and risk her jumping into another relationship because I was waiting for the requisite “mourning time” after a break-up.

I needed to do some reconnaissance work. I called Gary Gima, a buddy of mine from the old church. After our initial pleasantries and a little catching up, I revealed the reason for my call… Jeana. Specifically, was she dating anyone?

I held my breath.

Tom Burns - High School Football

Gary informed me that Jeana had gone out on a date or two with Tom Burns but he didn’t know if it was casual or if they were “official.” My heart dropped.

Tom Burns was a close friend of mine. In fact, Tom was attending that church at my invitation a few years earlier. We met in high school. We both were nuts about sports and shared a passion for the Los Angeles Dodgers. We were the sports writers for a little school newspaper.

I got Tom a job at the taco joint where I was working, and our friendship continued to deepen. I would regularly share my faith with him and eventually, he accepted Jesus into his life and became a Christian. Tom began attending church with me and gradually became very involved in the ministry there. After graduation, Tom enrolled in the same Bible college as me and began studying for the ministry.

My initial thought was to dismiss the idea of reaching out to Jeana, as it appeared that she was dating one of my close friends. I didn’t want to interfere. But would I really be interfering if I just probed a little? Asked a few casual questions?

I called Tom.

We engaged in some small talk. We discussed the Dodgers, of course. But then I got to the point.

“Hey, are you dating Jeana?”

Initially, he had no idea why I was asking this question. I believe he just thought it was small talk and he brushed it off as a casual date or two. Nothing significant.

But then, I believe, it hit him. I think he realized the purpose of my call and he regretted minimalizing their relationship. His tone changed, and he sought to figure out a way backtrack and express his interest pursuing Jeana, but it was too late. I had my opening and I quickly cut short the conversation.

Now… that was just my theory. That’s the impression I got after talking to Tom. He and I are good friends to this day but I never have asked him about that phone conversation. Hmmm… was I right? I may never know.

I had moved into the apartment in Downey after Debi moved out, since it was my signature on the rental agreement. And before long, a buddy, Larry Rogers, moved in with me to split the rent. As an aside, that was a huge mistake. Not only did he never pay a dime for rent, he also stole some money from my bedroom and moved out one day while I was at work. Never saw or talked to him again. Some “buddy,” huh?

But prior to Larry’s shenanigans… we were killing time on one of the first Saturday nights in the apartment. I had been itching to call Jeana and thought, “There’s no time like the present.”

As she did every weekend, Jeana was staying with her friend, Tracy Moore. I called her. I must admit… I was nervous, but I did my best to be Mr. Cool. Jeana was very confused and curious about my call and it wasn’t long before she shoe-horned a question about my pending nuptials into the conversation.

The motive of her question was obvious, “Why is this man, engaged to be married, talking to me in such a flirtatious manner?” And I was more than ecstatic to respond in a “Wedding? What wedding?” type of way.

Once we got that little issue cleared up… it was smooth sailing.

The four of us met that night at a bowling alley in Norwalk. Yeah, we bowled… but I have little recollection about throwing a silly ball down the lane. All I remember was being captivated with this beautiful, spunky, blonde, ex-cheerleader.

I don’t know about her, but that night, my mind was made up. My journey of singlehood was over. I was going to marry this girl. I never looked back.

The next morning, getting ready to head to church, I found my car wrapped tightly in a cocoon of toilet paper. Man, that took some work! There was a note on the windshield that said, “Thanks for last night. I had fun!”

I think she likes me!

I called her later that day and purposely didn’t mention her prank. I think she was disappointed.

I asked her out on our first “official” date. A Dodger baseball game, of course.

So, we went to the game the following weekend. Life could not get any better. Enjoying the beauty of Dodger Stadium with a gorgeous blonde seated next to me.

Jeana had gotten dressed up for the event. She wore a nice dress and shoes. Make-up applied to perfection. And she even put a bit of curl to her long, blonde strands of hair.

Somewhere around the third inning, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She finally asked me about the toilet paper job on my car. My silence on the matter had her believing that I was angry about it. I laughed it off and told her that I didn’t get angry… I got even. And she found out exactly what I meant by that, later that evening.

Neither of us wanted the evening to end and so after the game, we decided to grab a bite to eat. I told her that I needed to stop by my apartment to grab some more cash. A total fabrication.

In the center of the apartment complex was a nice, brightly illuminated pool. As we walked along side of it, heading for my door… I stopped and Jeana stopped with me.

“Remember when I told you that I don’t get angry… I get even?” I asked her.

“Um… yeah.” She said.

“Well, this is me… getting even.” And with a gentle shove, Jeana took an unexpected plunge, fully clothed, into the deep end of the pool.

What a risky move on my part, huh?

Fortunately, she thought it was hilarious. What a great sport!

The rest was a whirlwind romance. We were together every weekend after that. I could not have been happier.

I didn’t plan or execute an extravagant proposal. We just knew that we wanted to get married the next summer, in 1980. Which meant that we’d be married before her 19 ^th birthday. Yikes! That would take some serious convincing of ma and pa Gordineer!

I can remember taking a piece of notebook paper and creating an itemized budget to present to her parents as evidence that we were ready and capable to take the plunge. We sat at her kitchen table, with her parents and made our case. I don’t remember much about the conversation except that we received a lukewarm “okay.” And that is ALL that we needed!