it amazes me when I think of exactly how it came to be

The story of how The Captain and I met is a complex one that boggles my mind, even now. Our story begins nearly 12 years before we met, but for simplicity's sake, I'll start five years ago, in 2002.

I was still in high school at the time, and working at a summer camp that I'd gone to as a child. The first day I was there, I met Gecko. She and I met at a program several years prior, and had gotten off to a rough start. She thought I was a whiny little brat, and I'd thought she was an arrogant princess. Anyway, fast forward to my first summer working at camp. Gecko was one of the first people I saw after getting there and unpacking. I recognized her from several years ago, and latched onto her, following her around like a lost puppy.

Over the course of the summer, Gecko told me about the university she was attending. From listening to her talk about the school, I decided it was worth further investigation. I was beginning my senior year of high school and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life after June 13th the following year.

After doing some cursory researching and determining that her school would be cheaper for me to attend than a local one, despite being in another state. I found a few programs that interested me, and applied for Early Decision. When I got my acceptance letter, I knew my college search was over. Because I had applied for Early Decision, I was obligated to attend this university. My parents weren't thrilled with my choice since it was so far away and I wasn't allowed to have a car for the first two years. My father helped me move into my dorm and said that I'd have to find my own way home if I wanted to visit.

Skipping the remainder of my freshman year of college, the following summer found me back at camp. This time, I met another girl who would have significant influence over my life. She and I were so similar in so many ways that we were almost magnetically drawn to one another. This summer was not a good one, for either of us. We didn't quite fit in with the rest of the staff, and often spent our "free time" alone together, or just plain alone. That summer had more lasting effects on my life than just the friendship she and I had formed. That was also the summer I was hospitalized with burns and permanent nerve damage in my hand, leaving two of my fingers entirely useless, and having very limited function in the other two.

I didn't expect to see her again after that summer, because neither of us were planning to go back to camp the following year. We'd both had enough. At some indeterminate point in the future, however, she moved to the same state where I was attending school.

Spring of my final full year of college found me teaching a chemistry lab. Due to the fact that I was still an undergraduate, the department had to get creative with where my funding came from. It took them until finals week to finally get it straightened out, and I got my compensation for teaching the course as a lump sum rather than twice monthly checks.

The day I was issued my paycheck was the same day as a concert in the next town that I'd been looking forward to for months. Unfortunately, the tickets had been sold out for weeks. During one of my hours-long conversations with Renee, I found out that the same lineup would be playing in her town a week later, and that there were still tickets available. The day of my last exam that semester, I packed up my car, moving everything by myself for the first time. The car was so stuffed that I could only see out a basketball sized portion of my rear windshield, and the back windows were entirely blocked.

I drove straight through to her town, and after collapsing on her couch for a few hours, we got ready to go to the concert. The concert was violent, with me literally being picked up off my feet and thrown into the mosh pit. I had a hand print with four distinct fingers bruised into my bicep for a week. Basically, it was the best concert I'd ever been to.

A few days later, a bunch of us were hanging out in Renee's apartment when The Captain walked in the door. I was immediately drawn to him. While it wasn't love at first sight, it was most certainly an intense attraction. He'd dropped by to pick up the boxers he'd bought on a shopping trip with Renee, and had accidentally left behind. He ended up staying all day, helping me cook a traditional meal from scratch, and ultimately, spent the night.

We talked for hours, and found that we had more in common than we would have ever guessed. He and I were both traveling to my home state the next day, and decided to make part of the trip together. The next day (the day we were supposed to leave) had us so thoroughly engrossed in each other, that we realized we'd never make it to our destinations at a reasonable hour. We decided it would be safer to spend one more night in his hometown before leaving the following morning.

Once again, I expected that our paths would diverge and we'd never see each other again. I hoped vehemently that it wasn't true, but it looked unavoidable.