Once Upon a Time, I Fell in Love…

The idea of her started somewhere in the early 80s when my classmates in Bemis at Hampton started calling me Mies. I started to feel the pull that maybe I would find a way to visit and be with her one day. I started to daydream a little when looking at pictures of her, especially the ones taken at night when she’s all dolled up. Wow!

Days turned into months and months into years. Finally, after two years, I decided I’d find a way to get to her. I was dating someone at the time; we’ll call her Lily. She was glad for me when the opportunity came for me to travel to see if what I hoped to be would be. I wanted Lily to come with me for moral support. Who knows? I thought she might also want to be a part of this other Love.

Lily agreed to join me. I was invited and had my expenses covered. It was clear the universe was conspiring to make this happen. I was also able to get a great convertible at a ridiculous deal after a bidding war for my business between two dealerships.

So Lily and I found ourselves in this car with the top down on the road. We were on our way to see my dream. We drove for half a day and finally arrived. As I got closer, I felt the excitement building. She was everything I’d hoped she’d be; her pictures didn’t do her justice. Lily was diggin’ her too but not as much as I was. From that moment, I knew I was a goner! But there was no denying it, no turning back now; I had to have her. Love had found me, and I would do whatever it took to make her mine.

I wasn’t the only one smitten. As it turned out, Lily also had a little crush on her. While Lily and I both were taking in these feelings, we could feel daylight coming between us. It was as if we were on different sides of a spectrum, and the colors were starting to bleed. Love is funny that way. It can make you feel like you’re on top of the world one minute, and then the next, it can have you feeling like you’re at the bottom of a pit. Lily enjoyed the weekend but had to get on a plane to make it back home for work. You know that feeling when things are coming to an end, and you can feel it, but you don’t want to admit it? That’s how Lily and I parted ways. We both knew this was the beginning of the end.

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We said our goodbyes at the airport, and I watched her fly away. When Lily left, it felt like a part of me went with her. There had been a force between us. While it was no longer there, it was still haunting. We talked by phone, but we had both changed. Finally, the gulf between us was too much, and we decided to end things. It wasn’t as amicable as she had hoped, but we both knew the consequences of some decisions are irrevocable. I felt a little down and hurt, but I had to pick myself up and move on.

I started to focus on my Love again. It was going to be a love affair for at least 18 months. Then those months turned into three years. We had our challenges, but those years were so beautiful. During that time, I met two other women. Those didn’t last, but that one I traveled hundreds of miles for still endures over 30 years later. I spent a week with her just last month. I hadn’t been able to get to her since late 2019, but nearly three years later, it was like we had never been apart. I did things with her that I never did across our decades.

This included Improv comedy shows, a river cruise, new eating places with old friends and colleagues, and sailing with others. Of course, love stories don’t always have happy endings, but this one does for me.

I’m not sure when I’ll get back to her. She’s changed; she’s much bigger now, but so am I. Three decades will do that to everyone. There is just more of both of us to love. She more expensive now but even when she is being cold, I don’t take it personally because she’s that way with everyone. That is just how she is, yet she remains beautiful, comforting, and familiar.

This will never change because as other relationships have come and gone, no matter how bad it has gotten, I’ve been able to depend on her to be there for me.

So whether or not my “Wow,” shows up, my heart is light. Because Once Upon a Time, I fell in love with Chicago, the one Love that has endured.

Chicago All Dolled Up — Night Skyline — Photo iStockPhoto.com

Love doesn’t always have to be a person; sometimes, it can be a city. Love is strange and wonderful; you never know where it will find you. But when it does, hang on tight and enjoy the ride!

“The Chi” is my Love, and I will continue to love her for as long as I live.

Once Upon A Time, we all fell in Love. Maybe not with a person or a place, but Love nonetheless. And that is something to be celebrated. Thanks for being part of my Love story. I’ll see you soon!

Series Essay 01of 25 — 07.11.22

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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