Allan wasn’t old enough  to really complain of a broken heart.  He wasn’t feeling hopeless, and he had happy memories with the girlfriends he had had. The funk he was feeling possibly was because he was a romantic and expected to find his “always and forever” effortlessly.

Allan wasn’t even really that sad after the first 24 hours of his breakups. First of all he knew he was young and second he was a natural optimist.  The tears were out of his system,  he mentally shook like a wet dog and promised not to look back….. at least until tomorrow.

Allan just decided to stop looking for the right girl, instead he would just relax,  enjoy life and the summer that remained.

Sadness couldn’t linger  either with Mary, she was a healthy young woman and being outdoors in fresh air wearing her jeans naturally made her reject blue thoughts with every breath she drank in.

Mary lived minutes from pine trees and camp fires just north of her city.  Her car was old, but dependable and when she filled it up with campfire essentials like marshmallows and firewood, she needn’t worry about scratches. Tonight was going to a night to relax with friends, some fun.

Old jeans, snacks, matches and cold water – she looked forward to building a fire with her group of friends and watching the sparks float up as the night settled.

But she wasn’t looking for anyone special, certainly not someone just standing there.

Part of Allan’s plan to enjoy life included making new friends,  and it had been awhile since he had done just that.

Today he said yes to joining a new friend for a loose gathering around a campfire,  music and gazing into embers.

No expectations except introducing himself to a new group.

skaha lake again

Little did he know that he would meet that night, not only a young woman who looked great in jeans, but also the woman he would grow to love, and he would grow old with.

But there she was, just standing there.

I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That’s the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams

Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I’m in love
I’m a believer, I couldn’t leave her if I tried

I thought love was more or less a giving thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What’s the use in tryin’
All you get is pain?
When I needed sunshine, I got rain

Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I’m in love
I’m a believer, I couldn’t leave her if I tried –    musical link here I’m a believer (The Monkees)

But you aren’t a fan of the 1966 hit of The Monkees – you might like this link instead for the Beatles.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate your comments especially.  I started off this post originally thinking of the song, I saw her standing there by the FAB FOUR.  I decided not because of the lyrics about dancing. When I met the gal I married, it was at a campsite and I saw her standing there. 

 Once I met her, I was smitten. Six months after that first date on August 6th we were married, and it’ll be 40 years this August 6th. 

YOU can jump to the  next chapter by clicking here.