Defining Moments

ONE VOICE, ONE SOUL
There was a sense thrill and daring when I was with Danielle. I felt intoxicated being in her presence. Her energy, her passion surges through my veins awakening every cell of my DNA that had once been asleep. I felt like I was changing and happy as I emerged as a butterfly from a cocoon. I realized for the first time that I was in love. Everything was right in the world.

In the past I had relationships however this one was different. When I divorced my ex wife in 2004 after a ten year dead marriage, life seemed dull. My ex wife was a marriage of convience. I was 22 years old at the time and it was something to do, to get married. We were never compatible. The sex was bland like vanilla ice cream. Her version of sexuality was only with a vibrator performed on her. Occasionally she wanted a strap on however no performance was ever done unto me. I was trapped like animal in a cage that only stayed out of comittment. Four years into the marriage and we had become roommates at best. Five years into the marriage, my ex wife discovered Reiki. She started becoming abusive claiming that Reiki was channeling my mother. My ex wife was messed up in the brain. When I finally left her in 2004, I vowed never to get married and to stay away from Reiki.

I am telling Danielle about my ex wife when she holds my hands.

“She was a bitch. If I ever see her, she will have a Mexican to deal with,” Danielle said.

That night Danielle and I went to a lesbian business owner networking meeting. We met every third Tuesday of the month. Everyone introduced themselves and how they knew about the meeting. The last one to be introduced was Danielle.

“Hello, I’m Danielle. Kat introduced me. I am a team captain for a catering company. I know because we have been dating for a few months and I love her.” I look at Danielle with surprise.

Afterwards, Danielle and I head back to my apartment.

“You shocked me by telling everyone that you loved me, and with me.” Danielle is driving as she smiles, turning her head to me.

“I want everyone to know about me.”

I take a sigh because Danielle has yet to tell her family about me. We go back to my apartment where we continue the conversation which I bring up.

“When will you tell your family,” I ask with a down trodden voice.

“Honey, you have to understand,” Danielle responds. We sit down eating as we went to subway on the way home.

“My family is judgmental and I just got out of a relationship three months prior to meeting you and I don’t want them to judge. I want to slowly introduce you.”

I understood leaving it at Danielle’s discretion to introduce me.

In the coming week, I introduced Danielle to Andy online. Andy is my friend that I have known for three years. We have never met in person as he lives in Australia. I consider him my brother that I never had and always refer to him as my brother. One evening I shared a secret with my brother. While Danielle and I had said our vows in private, I wanted to go larger. She had often mentioned how her past relationship didn’t treat her right or put her first. I planned on getting on my hands and knees at the next meeting in November in front of the business group and propose publicly with engagement rings, flowers and a poem. I had already spoken to the bartender and we have a nice wine bottle waiting for her. The rings were going to be engraved with words. The key to the rings being engraved was our vows to one another. I needed Andy to text Danielle and somehow find out what Danielle’s vows would be if she was ever to marry me. My brother is always so clever. My brother discovered what Danielle would say. I immediately took her vows and had them engraved on our rings.

November 9, 2011 arrived as I kept practicing, and role playing the evening where I would give Danielle the engagement rings. I had the evening all planned out. When it came to introducing me, I would get on my hands and knees handing the engagement rings to Danielle. The evening came and Danielle never showed up like she had promised. It was odd as Danielle never broke a promise before. I called her and she was emotional. She had an overbearing mother who had gotten into her face. It was a mess at home. Immediately, I took the rings and flowers driving to her house. Upon arriving at her house, she was sitting on the white swing chair to the side of the front door. She was visibly upset.

“I’m sorry honey I know you had some surprise.”

I look at her and get down on my knees, proposing to her. Danielle starts crying lifting me up onto my two feet. Slowly I begin to open the box containing our rings. She reads the inscriptions, handing me her ring. Gently I take her left hand, placing her engagement ring on her wedding ring finger. Danielle takes the other ring placing it on my left hand, wedding ring finger.

She smiles,

“One Voice, One Soul, Together We Fly” Those were the words, her vows to me, engraved on the ring. Danielle cries in my arms,

“I will marry you publicly, You are my wife.” We kiss passionately then walk to the chair, talking.

A week later, there was surprise that I was completely shocked by.

Danielle is lying on her stomach, nude, under my blanket on the left side of my bed. Her long black hair flows down her back. She turns her head to me,

“Honey, I have a surprise for you.”

Smiling, I turn to face her slowly, pulling down the blanket on me.

“Kat, you’re distracting me.”

“Awww, me distract you?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

“I spoke with Andy’s father, and next summer, he is coming to San Antonio, to officiate the wedding and walk you down the aisle,”

I become emotional that Danielle would go out of her way to do this.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

Everything was official as we moved forward in our love. All Daniel and I spoke about was our future together, what our life would be like. There was no communication of disappointment or that she wanted out. My friends fell in love with Danielle because how she treated me, cared and how we were together as a couple. My brother Andy even sent me a message about us,

“I thought I knew what a soul mate felt like. I knew nothing without you tow as a role model, I would not know what to look for”

We were role models of true love, and a great relationship.