Everyone knows what www.harmony.com and www.match.com are. But what happened on the Internet BEFORE those subscription base "dating" sites came about? Let me tell you our story.
As a teen, I was a member of Boy Scouts of America in their explorer program. After my first post closed, I joined the CompuServe Post. This was late 1994-early 1995 when the Internet was something only geeks and nerds really used and most websites were really only accessible by AOL keyword. If you were on line, you usually knew what you were doing, because it wasn't very user friendly and most chat boards were bulletin board type things (you post a message and then you get responses via email) or email.
CompuServe had live chat rooms, where you could enter and type (to talk) to other people. It was fully text based - no video or voice was used but it was live.
Being a member of the CompuServe post gave me a free CompuServe account, and I quickly found myself enjoying the chat rooms in CompuServe. There, I could be myself, and not be shunned or ridiculed. They poked fun at me, but they did that to everyone AND there was nothing evil or cruel in their teasing, just fun.
I found a place in on specific room called "The Village Elders". Many of the regulars were in their late 30's or older, but they welcomed me with open arms, even knowing I was only 16. There was 2-3 other kids my age in that room as well, and one specifically "Zombae" (real name David) and I hit it off well.
Fast forward to April 1997. I was completing my Freshman year of college. Fall term I basically flunked due to me being burned out, stressed out and room mate issues. So I was using CompuServe as an escape (when I became 18, I volunteered to be a chat room moderator called [Helper] mainly so I could keep a free CompuServe account. David kept urging me to get help because I was spiraling down further and further. One of my HS Friends was in some trouble too, so even with all my emotional issues, I was trying to help her out, too. My dad and I were basically at each other's throats since I was living at home, going to a local community college and working. To help me keep my sanity, I applied and was accepted to BGSU, which is about 90-110 min from where my parents lived.
It was May 1997 (I believe!) that I met ^oO^wolfie in The Village Elders. I think I was trying to sign off to start on some C programming homework. He saw that and opened up a private chat between us and asked what I was studying. I told him Comp Sci. He then said (and this is a quote!!) "MARRY ME!" I laughed it off, thinking it a joke. But that laughter was something I desperately needed at the time.
We chatted for 3 hours longer that day. He asked me to marry him I believe another half of dozen times in that first conversation alone.
He and I started exchange emails on a daily basis. Teh_Bagder sent me happy happy Wolfie messages almost every morning. Since he lived near Glagow, and I in Ohio, he was always up before me.
Around my birthday that year (July), there was a very rainy day. I was riding my bike to class, (breaks were wet) and a car stopped through a stop sign. The car hit my bike. I hit the ground hard on my hands and knees - luckily not my head. I limped my way to my class and told the prof what happened. Then I found a pay phone to call home. My middle brother answered, and I told him what happened. I made my way slowly back to my dorm. I called home again and had a bad argument with my dad. He was pissed that I didn't get their license number and never asked how I was doing. (I ended up with a soft tissue injury to one of my hips that forced me to be on crutches for 2 weeks, and it still hurts on occasion)
At that point, I lost all motivation for school. I was put on Prozac to see if it would help my volitial mood swings. The person who lived across the hall (also under 21) has a boyfriend who wasn't and he was easy to convince to buy us vodka and wine-coolers, and we spend most weekends getting smashed.
Then, mid August, Teh_Bagder just disappeared. No emails, not online to chat, nothing. He had my dorm phone number, but I didn't have his. (UK charges even local phone calls per minute I found out later). Two weeks of silence, he calls. Turns out that his phone was turned off because he couldn't pay the bill. He was calling from a payphone to tell me as soon as he got paid, he would pay the phone bill. He was very sorry for all the worry he caused me. I got his number at that time so I could call him if I needed to.
In September, David convinced me that I needed a getaway. At the time, David and I had been talking for over 2 1/2 yrs. he suggested that I fly to Glasgow to meet Teh_Bagder over winter break. If we didn't hit it off, I could spend the remainder of the trip in Edenbough with David, sightseeing.
So, I got plane tickets and a passport. Then, I asked my Wolfie what the weather was like there around new years. One must understand, he is very witty, and always has a comeback This left him speechless. (In the last 14 years, I have only caught him off guard like this a handful of times!)
Needless to say, I landed in Glasgow after 16hrs of flights on December 27, 1997. Upon entry, they gave me a 6 month visitors visa. We married May 20, 1998, and gave birth to Munchkin in the same hospital he was born in on October 1, 1998.
We applied for a spousal visa to the USA shortly there after. We landed in Cleveland in Jan, 1999. Since coming, we have had 2 more children.
Teh_Bagder applied and received his US Citizenship in Dec 2011. It has been a long road, with many detours, potholes and other hazards. I thank all my lucky stars that I have him. I thank every deity that allowed us to cross paths as we did, because, I know, if it hadn't been for him, his love and support, I would just be some headstone that people would visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment