One Year Ago: Dec. 3

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 3, I had a job at DU.  Several of my siblings were going to be at the L’s that evening, so when I was finished I headed over there too.  As usual, when I turned the corner I was looking to see if Joe’s truck was there--it wasn’t.  I actually asked Angie where Joe was (I usually tried to refrain from direct queries about him) and he wasn’t sledding; apparently he was out doing something else.  I hoped that he would show up, but it didn’t happen.  Nor did he answer his phone when his brother tried calling him.  And, to increase the mystery, some of the L siblings seemed to know more than they were saying.  At least they were giving that impression.  :)    

Of course the girls talked about it on the way home: what had become of Joe?.   They thought he was out on a date.  I didn’t, but I thought that he might be out with some girl’s dad--it even crossed my mind that it might be my dad.  I kept these thoughts to myself, however, and when we got home I somehow got it through my head that Daddy hadn’t been anywhere that afternoon.  Which meant that if Joe had been out with some girl’s dad, it was some other girl’s dad.  My sisters actually had been talking about another “possibility” for Joe, and I found that I didn’t like that idea very much.  

Those same sisters ended up being a bit more strategic than I about figuring out what was actually going on.  Rebecca, who had her suspicions, went and asked Dad quite innocently what he had been doing that afternoon.  When he gave no response of substance, she formed her own opinions.

Dad had in fact been out with Joe.  They met at Starbucks for a talk and Joe asked for permission to court me.  He terms this the scariest thing he’s ever done, no close seconds.  (He has since found out that my dad is very awesome and not that scary.)   After a rather brief discussion, Dad told Joe that he would talk to Mom and pray about it.  (Side note: Dad was aware that I liked Joe.  I had told him some 18 months before that if Joe ever asked about me, I’d be interested.  He didn’t enlighten Joe on that point, however.)  

So...Joe was waiting for a phone call again, and I was processing the possibility that he was pursuing someone else.  

to be continued