I was working in Dallas, Texas and was truly unhappy at work. My work life was doing great, but my love life and social life were non-existent and missing. I remember walking to work one day, crying a loud cry to the Lord wondering "why me Lord! If I am to be alone, then let me accept your will, but if I am to be with someone, then grant me the patience that he will come."
Then, I went away for a work meeting at the Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor, Maine. I stayed in an old mansion with a "roommate" who was this tall blonde and had blue eyes and she was a veterinarian. My roommate and I started talking about "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", I told her that I graduated from Spelman College! My roommate's eyes lit up because she had heard about Spelman College because her "friend" graduated from Morehouse College! And she excitedly exclaimed that "at least we can be friends!"
When I got back to work in Dallas, my friend emailed me and said her friend and I should connect. I told her to send her "friend" my email. Her "friend", that I shall call G- emailed me saying "Howdy"; and that he will keep the message short. the I replied. We kept it up for several emails, then we started to connect differently... Our conversations were varied and enjoyable. He was going through some difficulty, and I cheered him on, and then he told me "I was an 'A-N-G-L-E'". Being me, I asked him is he a "right angle" or "obtuse"--he wrote "LOL you know what I mean..."
We emailed so much, that I asked him to start calling me around the end of October. And we talked and talked for days on end. We talked about how we saw the world, and the revolutions of world. It was so intense, that I said "we need to meet".
I told him to visit me in Las Vegas for New Years 2003. At first, he said he couldn't because he was going to Arizona to watch the Miami Hurricane BCS Bowl. I asked him what dates did he have in mind, he told me and he also purchased his ticket. I don't know what I said to convince him, but he rearranged his schedule to spend New Year's with me.
And then, he thought that I abruptly stopped speaking to him. He called me some time on December 4, 2002. He left a voice message, stating "If I did not want to speak to him, just let him know rather than not talking to him anymore!"
What happened was my mother left me from my family's Thanksgiving in Dallas, TX on December 2, 2002. On December 4, 2002, I thought I was going to my desk at work, but I actually went to a colleagues desk and fainted. I have never fainted in my life!!! Since my boss is a cardiologist, he confirmed that I did not have a heart attack and 5 other cardiologists said I didn't have one either. I was unconscious for 90 seconds, too long to have been a heart attack--so they said. Then I heard the EMT's come in and say I was going to Parkland Hospital. My boss emphatically said I was going to St. Paul's Hospital and that is what happens.
I did not want to go to any hospital, but I could not say anything... I was groggy. Well, I took a trip to the hospital, then I got white coat syndrome and my blood pressure spiked. The ER doctors said in front of my boss, who was the attending, that I had a heart attack, when in fact, there was no evidence for that. He was angry. So, I had a CATSCAN that was inaccurate. I had blood tests, was not pregnant and HIV negative. Then I called my dad, he said it will be okay. Then I called my mom, and she was nowhere to be found. I was transferred to Zale Lipshy Hospital. And the next day, my mom was there... I stayed one more day, had an inconclusive MRI, then I was released with a Holter monitor which was inconclusive. In fact, the Neurology team did not know what was wrong with me...
When I got home, I checked my voice messages. I got 3 messages from G-, then the inflammatory one. There was a voice message I was hoping for from another fellow, but I never heard from him, ever. What was interesting, my mom made me rest, then my phone rang, it was G-. My mother answered, the passed it onto me. She looked at me like, here is somebody calling me! What was more interesting, was I was all prepared to tell G- to "go fly a kite" based on that dumb message he left me. Here is the conversation below:
G-: Hi! How are you?
Me: Fine (flatly)
G-: So, your mother answered the phone?
Me: Yes (flatly)
G-: So, she went back home?
Me: Yes (flatly)
G-: So, she came back?
Me: Yes (irritated now)
G-: Well, I haven't heard from you in awhile!
Me: (Racing through my thoughts to where I either tell him off or I tell him the truth. He was a nice guy, I shouldn't be so harsh. But if I tell him, he will be scared. Well here goes, if he doesn't want to speak to me after this, so be it, I have nothing to lose!)
Me: G-, I was in the hospital. I fainted at work.
George: (slight pause) So, how long were you out? (Doctor's voice mode)
What amazes me is I CONSCIOUSLY made a decision to just let G- into my life and tell him the unfettered truth.
G- had rearranged his New Year's Eve and Day plans to meet me in Las Vegas, NV for 2003. He was supposed to go to Tempe, Arizona for the BCS Fiesta Bowl for his team, the University of Miami Hurricanes. He made these arrangements long before he met me. I begged him to reconsider, he did. He would meet me in Las Vegas, then go to Arizona and go home.
My family usually goes to Vegas every New Years since 1995. I had been going since 1996, so I was going with my parents. My folks stayed in a timeshare condo by the Hilton Grand Vacations company. There was a sleeper sofa in the anteroom and a whirlpool bathtub. I really liked the whirlpool bathtub. In 2002, my parent's had a second timeshare for 2-3 days for NYE. They stated I could invite a friend. Well, I invited G- because I wanted to meet him. Moreover, I had to tell my mom about him since she answered the phone in Dallas when he called. My dad was clueless.
Anyhow, after my folks and I drove from San Diego to Vegas, we hooked up with my Aunt B- who is beautician extraordinaire. I asked her to touch up my hair and add highlights to it. She did and my mom was amazed. Moreover, I was a lot thinner than I am today, so I looked extra-specially attractive. That was a few days before I picked up G- from the Airport.
As the time came closer for "seeing each other face to face", G- was calling me hourly. On the day of our meeting, his flight was delayed and he was so nervous, I just let him call. He was worried that he would never meet me. Then, when I arrived at the airport, I stood near the baggage claim anxiously awaiting his arrival. His flight had been delayed further. As I waited, there were quite a few limousine drivers awaiting their arrivals with name card holders. One of the drivers exclaimed to me, "you can be Becky or Christina if you want to!" and then I laughed and started talking to all of them, they proceeded to tell me how they look for their clients and the let me borrow one of their papers and write George's name with a marker. I wrote, "Dr. G-, DVM". As more people were searching for their bags, an onslaught of them passed me by, then out of the blue, here came G- bewildered and wondering why he saw his name on a limousine card. Then he saw me, and he looked shocked! I gave him a hug, my ear was touching his, he did not know what to do.
As he proceeded to his baggage claim area, I could feel my hair on the back of neck standing up from him staring at me just amazed at how I looked. It was as if he had never seen a woman like me before or a woman like me never spoke to him seriously. But, I was real and serious, and I was finally glad to meet him.
We drove back to the Hilton Grand Vacations hotel, which was behind the Flamingo Hotel, and we got into the room reserved for me. G- was further amazed at the grandeur, no one--especially a woman he was interested in, ever treated him to this kind of location. Then I asked him if he would like to get something to eat? I had forgotten that I told my mom earlier what we were going to do and where we were going to go. He agreed to go to P.F. Changs Restaurant at Harrahs. Then we proceeded to walk over there.
As we got seated and water was served, I gave him a card saying thank you. Earlier, he had given me a "spa retreat package" in Dallas, it was incredible. Then, after we placed our orders, out of the corner of my eye, I see ALL my parent's Vegas friends walking towards us, saying hello to me. That was when I realized my mom had fooled me and got all her friends together to size up G-. By that time, G- stood up to meet the first person that stopped by our table, he stated that he was "one of Gina's fathers..." Then another of my parent's friend's, a man stopped by and G- started getting exasperated and confused as to who my folks were. Finally, my mom and dad stopped by and I exclaimed that these are my parents, sorry for the confusion!!!
Poor G-, but he handled it eloquently and I wanted this interaction to continue...
