I don�t remember if I wrote about this before but I feel the need to write about it now.

Ten years ago I left my ex and my life in Oklahoma behind and moved back to where my family was in California to try to make a fresh start for my children and myself. The break up had been so horrible that the last thing I wanted was to be involved with anyone else. Secretly I was hoping the ex would get it together and our family would work. That was not to be.

I was living with my parents till I got back on my feet since I came to CA with only my kids and the clothes on our back. I had met up with a friend of mine from Jr. Hi who was also going through a difficult divorce at the time. We started to go out to a line dancing country club on a regular basis. I don�t listen to country but welcomed some girl time. That�s when I met him.

I remember the first night I saw him and thinking he had these mesmerizing eyes. The first night we actually spoke, I asked him where he was from. That was a mistake since he grew up overseas and had been all over the world. He gave me a long story about where he started from up to where he was then. I admit I was bored. He seemed nice enough though. He walked me to the car and gently kissed me good night. He gave me his number (I didn�t give out mine) and asked me to call him. I didn�t think I would but a week later after a nasty argument on the phone with my ex I decided what the heck and I called. We talked a few times on the phone and he made me laugh. The fact that I lived with my parents and had 2 toddlers didn�t seem to faze him either so we made a date.

The night of our first date he pulled up in a sports car wearing a polo shirt. A far cry from the flannel wearing oil rig worker I left behind. He seemed to be the epitome of yuppie. Not my type at all. Still, I�d set the date. We went to the movies and saw one of the batman movies. The he took me for a drive down the mile of cars in National City. He asked if I could have any car what would it be and I laughed and said �a dark green Saturn with beige leather seats.� He told me one day he�d get me that car. I thought he was a joker trying to impress me. So I humored him and said ok.

A month after we were dating he told me he was about to go buy an expensive sports car and what color did I think. I was thinking he was a blow hard trying to impress a girl. That weekend he pulled up in a new white (excuse me, pearl) eagle talon. My mouth dropped. I wasn�t going to jump into getting close to him though and certainly couldn�t be bought.

We seemed to be polar opposites, me the poor country girl and him the worldly guy. I continued to date him but didn�t let him around the kids much because I didn�t want them to get attached or confused. He treated me like a queen. Took me to so many places I�d never been, opened doors for me, didn�t swear, didn�t push me for sex and was a gentleman. And when we out we always seem to have a lot of fun no matter where we were.

We had been dating for eight months when I had to go back to OK over some unfinished business. I was there for a week and even called him once. When I came back I called and his roommate said he hadn�t seen him in days. He said his car was gone but all his clothes were there. I thought he was avoiding me. I had AC/DC tickets for us but he was nowhere to be found so I went with my sister. After about 3 days of calling I finally heard from his brother. He was in the ICU and had been in a horrible accident. The car was totaled and he was in a coma and not expected to live. Of coursed I raced there. When I saw him, his face was unrecognizable. He had gone through the windshield face first and had to have reconstructive surgery on his eye. He lost half an eyebrow. His head was bloated and distorted and looked like meatloaf. They thought he�d die but something told me he�d pull through.

He stayed in 3 different hospitals for about 2 months. He remained in a coma for a long time. He stared blankly at everything. He had had a stroke and one side of his face drooped. I could�ve walked away then. It would�ve been easy. The rest of his family didn�t like me anyway. They wanted more for him. The doctors said that even if he recovered he would be retarded at best. I went to the hospital every day. I went to all three. I never missed a day. I talked to him, read to him, played music, and just sat with him. He had to learn to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, and write etc. all over again. For a few years after the fact, he still got words mixed up and confused. It was a slow climb. He went back to work in the shipping yard full time and went to the city college at night. It was hard and he was frustrated. He flunked classes and had to take them over. He barely passed quite a few but kept charging on. We continued to date and after 3 years we moved in together. The first year was so very hard but we did it. We thought if we could then we�d get married and we did. He got an intern job with a software company and continued school at night. He wanted the best for me and the kids that he could do and never gave up even when things were the hardest. He applied for a job with the state dept and after nearly a 2 year wait we got in. Today we are in Austria. In August we will be in Africa. He works very hard and tries to be a good husband and father. He is a good man who has worked hard and come a long way. He is my best friend and most of all he is my hero.

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