At the start of 2000 I moved to Christchurch in Aotearoa New Zealand to check midwifery. I had been a volunteer firefighter earlier than, so I made a decision to stay in my previous hometown of Lyttelton whereas I used to be finding out so I may be a part of their native fireplace brigade.
It had been greater than 10 years since I had lived there however not a lot had modified. It nonetheless had that small-town vibe the place everybody knew one another. I fronted up for coaching night time on the brigade and recognised fairly a couple of faces, nonetheless the identical, only a bit older. There was a really tall, good-looking younger man standing on the again who I recognised as Grant. He appeared very shy and severe however when he smiled it was like turning a lightweight on. His mum and my mum had been pals after we have been youthful, however we didn’t hand around in the identical circles; I used to be seven years older than him and we went to totally different faculties.
I had been within the brigade for a couple of months after we had a perform on the fireplace station and, with the braveness of some drinks in me, I danced with Grant to Neil Diamond’s Eternally in Blue Denims. By the top of the night time, I used to be a bit wobbly on my toes and he did the gentlemanly factor and escorted me house.
A few days later he referred to as and invited me to go to the films with him. He later stated it took many makes an attempt at selecting up the cellphone and placing it down earlier than he managed to make the decision (this was again within the days of telephones with handsets).
The date was “good”, not earth-shattering and I may inform he was nervous, however I may sense the attraction between us. We went to a Bruce Willis movie, The Entire 9 Yards, which was a sensible choice as a result of I’m a fan of his motion films. (A number of years later I purchased a DVD of the film as an anniversary current.)
I used to be 32 and a single mum with a seven-year-old son. I had no plans to calm down – I had objectives and plans for a future that didn’t embody marriage and extra kids, and actually believed that ship had sailed. Grant was 25, had simply returned from a visit abroad and was taking off once more. Like me, he had no intention of settling down any time quickly.
On our second date, Grant included my son, Jesse, and took us ice-skating. It was Jesse’s first time at an ice-skating rink and Grant held Jesse’s palms whereas skating backwards so he may information Jesse alongside the ice whereas everybody else zoomed round them. Grant was calm and thoughtful and made Jesse really feel essential and secure, which completely melted my coronary heart.
It was such a bizarre feeling. I had by no means thought of getting married, however in that on the spot, watching him patiently educating my boy how one can skate, all I knew was that Grant was a genuinely good man and I didn’t need to let him get away. He was the one.
The subsequent day pals requested how the date went. I stunned them – and myself – once I stated: “I’m going to marry him and have his kids.”
Six weeks later we have been engaged, and 9 months after that we married below an enormous kahikatea tree in February on the most well liked day of the 12 months, with my son as my finest man, and our pals, household and canine gathered collectively. The band performed a Neil Diamond tune for our first dance collectively as husband and spouse.
Quickly after that, we purchased our first home. I marvelled at how a lot Grant’s life had modified in a single brief 12 months. He had gone from being a younger, single man with a two-seater sports activities automobile to having a spouse, a younger son, a mortgage … and a child on the best way. I all the time stated it’s fortunate he has massive shoulders as a result of that was rather a lot to hold!
We have now constructed a chaotic, lovely life collectively by way of the onerous occasions and the great. We have now six superb kids, numerous animals and stay in a wonderful a part of Aotearoa New Zealand. Twenty-four years later, his smile nonetheless lights up my world. He’ll all the time be “the one” – and we nonetheless dance collectively to Neil Diamond.