Back in 1989, while I was living in Klamath Falls, I meet Rob Law. I was moving out of my studio apartment and into a 3 bedroom duplex with my new roommate Scott. Rob and Scott where fraternity brothers and Rob drove a Dodge Power Wagon. Scott recruited Rob to help move his stuff.
Rob was tall, skinny and had a great tan. He was wearing jeans, boots and a white tank top. After all the moving, we went to Rob's apartment that he shared with Kevin to jump in the pool. Rob said that was the moment he realized he was in love with me.
It was a fun and adventurous 2 months. One of the things we enjoyed doing was taking his truck down by the railroad tracks and watching the trains go by. One night he took a dime and placed on the tracks, after the train went by we had a squished dime. He took the dime and returned it to me a few days later on a chain.
2 months later, when we broke up, I gave him back the necklace. We eventually went our separate ways. He married Julie, finished school at OIT and moved to Holquim, WA. I finished school and married Jason.
Now single, I was working with the OIT alumni group in Portland helping to find local alumni on Facebook. As I was going thru the class of 1992, there he was. It was a Friday and I was heading to Reno for the weekend. So I sent a friend request and headed out.
Rob, now going through his second divorce was living in Lacey, WA. A friend told him to sign up on Facebook, you never know who you will find.
Rob and I talked about the original dime he had squished for me. He thought he still had it, but couldn't find it, so he made me another one on the tracks of the Amtrak train I rode up to visit him. He gave me this one on a chain when we reached the summit of Mt Adams together.
A year later he was working in his garage and going thru one of his many little drawers in his tool box and there it was. The original dime on the original chain. After 22years, he still had it.
Every relationship has it's issues. Ours?? We live 131 miles apart. Because of my kids, I have to stay here. Thanks to the economy, he lives in a house that is not worth what he owes. And he has a great job, Director of Engineering in Tacoma. He did look, not a lot of jobs in the area that pay what he needs. So, we see each other most every other weekend. That, at times, has put a strain on our relationship. Both of us thinking there has to be something better, but soon realizing, there is nothing better.
We have a great time together. We love to do the same things and go to the same places. And best of all, we absolutely respect each other.
