Robindcr8l

I took the liberty of putting your tea sandwich recipe in my recipe thread.

Robindcr8l

You, Baldur, are a patient man. Those "I won't eat leftovers" kind of quirks can eat away at a relationship. If I were doing all the cooking, and taking the time to prepare separate meals because we both had such opposite preferences, I would expect my partner to eat the same thing 2 nights in a row sometimes. You , on the other hand, have the wisdom to not pick that battle in life. Robert must give special things back in return to make it all worthwhile. That's the interesting part of relationships.

marius

How I Met My Husband

(This is in place of Baldur's first date - sorry folks, it's the best I can do.)

In 1990 I worked at a small nature preserve. I was a naturalist, led people on nature tours and did many other things. One part of my job was volunteer co-ordinator. That part took a LOT of time because, well, you had to get to know people. I like getting to know people, but for volunteers you have to be "on" in a way that is only nature to me if I've had a lot of alone time. So, it wasn't a natural fit for this naturalist.

For the most part, the volunteers liked me and I liked them, my problem was (and still is) that I can be very task oriented. So, if there is work to be done and you want to stand around chatting (which many volunteers want) I'm going to be standing there getting the heebie-jeebies waiting to dive into work. It's how I am.

marius

natural to me

marius

One afternoon right after school let out for the summer, this tall man walks in and asks for me. He said he'd been referred by one of our volunteers (who I just adored). He could put in 10-20 hours a week for the summer and he wanted outdoor stuff only. Yes, he taught computer science at the high school but he did that all year long and did NOT want to do it for volunteer work. He could mow, paint, fix tractors, build fences, anything like that, but please no computer work.

I had forgotten this next part, but years later when I started dating this man, he reminded me of the first day we met. He said after we'd talked a bit and he'd filled out his application form that I looked at him kind of funny for a while and said, "When can you start?" He said, "When do you need me?" I said, "Well, we need the front entrance mowed and the big mower is broken so ... it's the push mower and James was going to have to stay late and do it tonight ..." So, this man (who Baldur, is also named Robert) went to work for us that very minute.

marius

He had a great work ethic. Everyone loved him. He showed up on time, did the job perfectly and had almost no demands of us. In fact, he brought his own tools to work with him. As time progressed, we'd chat now and then and one day when I walked home for lunch (I lived on site) I looked up to the heavens and said, "Okay, God, are you listening? I'd like you to send me a man like Robert." I thought that was kind of funny, but truly, I'd been single a long time, was disapointed in dating and had finally met a man I truly liked. He was married so I had NO designs on him, just a request for a man like him.

Robindcr8l

oooh, this is getting juicy, now!

Baldur

marius' story continued..........

So I decided to take matters into my own hands and break up his marriage.
I knew a poledancer named matthew and paid him $10 to put the make on Robert's wife...........

marius

So time went by. One time he brought his daughter to help out - a beautiful young woman - but mostly he came to volunteer on his own. Each summer he'd put in his hours and if we needed extra help during the school year, all we had to do was call.

We all liked to call him to come in to volunteer as Robert is s "mr. funny guy." He created hysterically funny greetings for his answering machine. These got changed each month, but they were so funny that staff and volunteers were always calling his phone to hear the new message.

Baldur

....matthew shows up at Mrs Robert's house wearing nothing but a rhinestone studded thing and a smile. Mrs Robert passed out from shock.
Just as matthew was attempting to revive her with CPR, Robert arrived back at home.

Baldur

I meant thong)
OK Baldur is intruding on the story, I'll stop.

marius

By the summer of 1996 I felt I knew Robert pretty well. He was also a very good photographer so I decided to ask him to photograph our native plants and flowers to add to our collection of slides. Some of our flower photo/slides were pitiful things ... you could barely tell what some of the flowers were.

Robert came in bright and early one morning as scheduled, all set to take photos, but there was something else in the air. I didn't know there was anything else in the air (hey - I've said it before - I can be amazingly dense), so all I knew was that for the first time ever, Robert was bugging me. He kept INSISTING that it'd be better for him if I went with him to show him which flowers to photograph. I kept insisting back that it'd be fine with me if he just took photos of every flower he saw. It was getting to the point where I just wanted to scream, "Hey buddy, if it has colors, something that looks like petals ... take the freakin picture already."

marius

But, I didn't say that. There was something about the way Robert was talking, or perhaps being, that made me think I should go with him. He seemed very insecure or worried about wasting our film. I didn't know what the problem was, but decided he'd been such a great volunteer and had NEVER ever bugged me about a thing that I'd best honor his request.

We went out to the north trail where all the late spring flowers were still blooming and his camera went click, click or whatever noise a camera makes. He took photos of spring beauties, bloodroot, wild geraniums, toothwort, yellow lady slipper orchids, and on and on and on. While he was photographing, I'd sometimes support a flower for a better view and we talked. We talked in a way we had not before and for some reason I told him about my family.

marius

Baldur, you may interrupt anytime - heavens, it's YOUR radio station and perhaps there is a need for a station break? (giggle)

Robindcr8l

Yes, yes....!!!!

Robindcr8l

Wait, I wasn't saying yes to a station break...you typed that while I was typing!! I was waiting with baited breath for the rest of the story.

marius

Now, if anyone has ventured to another thread here, you already know a bit about my family. It is the neverending story. When you have THAT much mental illness packed together in one large group of people, the stories just don't end. So, as I shared some things, Robert began sharing some things too. His Dad had been a serious alcoholic, almost dying in a car wreck. The night that happened is the night Robert began rocking.

Hey - I never thought of this before but I could call him Rockin' Robert. Oh, he's going to die when he hears this new nickname ... but he'll probably secretly like it.

Yes, Robert began to rock in the rocking chair the night his Dad almost died. Robert was 12 that night, but after all the other things that had happened because of his Dad's drinking, this was too much for his poor little system. So from then on, whenever Robert had too much tension he would just sit in this chair and rock and rock and rock. His sisters still tease him about this. And, he still rocks ... but some of Baldur's listeners know, age has a wonderful mellowing effect.

marius

After Robert and I shared all those stories taking pictures that day, there was a new kind of friendliness. It did not feel in the least inappropriate to me as I'd known the man six years.

As the summer progressed it seemed that Robert kept finding ways to involve me in his volunteer work. I thought it was kind of funny but it was such a weird time at work and I enjoyed his company so I rather looked forward to our work days. Many times I could not accommodate his "need" to have me help while he worked, but when it seemed legitimate, I'd work with him.

Then .....

Robindcr8l

Robin is NOT going to indulge Baldur's obsession with matthew and thongs, but must admit he is conjuring up a salacious (10 pts) tale that she is secretly enjoying. Not unlike a Harlequin romance!

Dragon

Then....?