In 2003 I found out that my live in girlfriend had been lying to me from the very start of our relationship. She'd told me that she was divorced and had been for over a year. After her calling me up and chewing me out about my computer browser , I installed a program that told me what she did on my computer when I wasn't at home. The day after I turned the program on I found out that she was still married. After a few months of putting distance between us, she decided to move out, I was all for it. After she'd moved the last of her stuff the next day she called me and told me she'd made a mistake and wanted to move back, I told her I'd come over and we'd talk. When I got there she was all tears, I told her about the program and about the emails I'd seen that told me she'd been lying to me from our first date, she started crying harder and I left thinking...what was I thinking....
Since most of my relationships with American women hadn't panned out, I found a website that had a bulletin board that allowed me to post an ad for women in the UK. I'd all but forgot about the ad and one day I checked my email and I had a reply to my ad. It was from a young lady from England, she'd just turned 21, I was 44, so of course I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that I'd attracted a girl 24 years my junior. I wrote an email to her and asked her if she understood that I was 44, her response was, "I prefer older men." We started writing emails back and forth, instant messaging, and finally we started talking on the phone. It was amazing the things we had in common and after talking to her, you'd never thought she was as young as she was. We discussed meeting in person, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to swing a trip to England, since at the time I didn't have a passport, my son was living with me and the payments on the property and house I'd just bought were higher than I'd wanted. We discussed her coming for a visit, but honestly, I was holding my breath it was ever going to actually happen. Then on September 16, 2003, the worst day of my life happened, my mother called me and told me that she'd found my Dad laying in the backyard dead. I drove the 50 miles to her house and Dad was indeed in the backyard and the EMS had pronounced him dead. When the girl from England couldn't get hold of me she started to worry, when she finally got hold of me she could tell from the sound of my voice something was wrong. I told her about my Dad and the next thing out of her mouth was, "I"m on my way, I'll let you know what flight I'm on." And true to her word, she came. I picked her up at the airport and we went to the funeral home for the visitation. At my mothers house, my friend was politely but at the same time rudely welcomed. Her visa was for 3 months, she came into my house and took charge, cooking traditional English meals, high tea's, the months flew by, before we knew it, it was December and her visa was due to expire at the end of the month. So, on December 10, 2003, we went to the court house obtained a marriage license and had the justice of the peace marry us. (What was I thinking?) We've still not had a proper honeymoon, and this December will be 10 years of marriage. We have a 3 year old son and working on more, yes I'm now 54 years old with a 3 year old and looking to add more to our family. (What was I thinking?) My son is the best thing that's ever happened to me, a new lease on life, I watch what I eat, I try to exercise more and see the doctor regularly. I feel 10 years younger since he was born.
So that's the beginning of the What was I thinking. As time allows I'll post other moments in our life, some will be What was I thinking moments, others will be That's what I was thinking.
