"Ten on Pump Three"

  Living alone at the age of 21 and going to nursing school just don't seem to mix well.  I was half way through my nursing school, and realized that I was trully a loner.  I had previous relationships, but they never seemed to work out for me.  In one of those cases I seemed to get one of God's most precious gift out of it, and that was my baby girl.  Even though her father and I didn't work out, I appreciated her every bit.
  While going to nursing school I also worked as a shipping clerk at a local factory.  My everyday life consisted of waking up, getting me and my daughter ready for school, going to school or clinicals, coming home, whipping up a quick meal, dropping my daughter off at my mom's, and heading to work.  It was the same routine throught the week, but on weekends I would try to have fun.  Yeah, I know it's nothing like having fun, but having no one to have fun with spoils the moment.  I mean don't get me wrong, I had a few girlfriends, but we were at that age that everyone was trying to establish their individual families, everyone except me of course.
  One day as I was heading home for work, I decided to stop at a corner store to get me a drink and some gas.  While standing in line a tall dark skinned man turned around a looked at me and said "Hi." I thought he was kind of cute, but I actually knew him from around the way and thought there was no way I could date him.  It was finally my turn at the counter, and the lady asked if that was all I was getting, the drink that is, and I responded with, "No," "I also need ten on pump three."  As I was writing the check to pay my bill, I noticed a very handsome young man out of my peripheral vision.  I didn't say anything to him, because he dressed just like all the other guys that I used to date, so I figured he was no good.  Well, as I stood at my pump a light blue cadillac pulled up beside me and there he was.  He immediately asked if he could pump my gas for me.  I didn't say anything, because that's how I was. The only thing I could do was smile and keep pumping.  He then got out of his car and came towards me. The first thing he said to me was that I had a beautiful smile.  I immediatley asked him how old he was, because he looked a lot younger than the guys I usually go out with.  He instantly told me that he was 21 going on 22.  I knew then that it was a lie, but I felt like he felt as though he needed to say that in order to go out with me.  Even though I knew all the time he could not have been no more than 19 or 20, I gave him a chance anyway. It was something about the way he looked at me that let me know he was the one.  We exchanged numbers right there.  I guess he realized that he had given me the wrong number because I hadn't called in those next 10 minutes so he followed me to Wal-Mart just to verify.
  Well, for the next couple of weeks we talked on the phone as if we had been knowing each other all our lives.  It was never a dull moment on the phone.  This was my first time actually talking to a man and not feeling like I owe it to him to keep the conversation going with certain topics just for him to stay on the phone.  We decided to meet up one weekend, so I drove to his city.  He didn't have a car by the way neither did he have any money to buy me a pot to play in or a window to throw it out of, but I liked him anyway.  We were to meet a this gym at a local college that was right down the street from where he lived.  He didn't want me to have to go through the hassle of trying to find his house so he met me at the gym.  As soon as he walked in I thought, Oh my God, look at his hair, but despite all that, He still had those same eyes with that same look.  We talked at the gym and he gave me directions to his house. 
  When I arrived at his home he introduced me to his whole family as his girlfriend.  Even though that doesn't seem like a lot to most people, but I had never had that recognition from anyone.  It made me feel so good.  I knew then I would never be lonely again.  We hit it off really well and he moved in with me. 
  One day as we were sitting in my room playing as usual, he looked me in my eyes and told me that he loved me.  I already knew that he loved me, but that gave me the opportunity to spill out all of my feelings.  We knew then that we wanted to be together forever.  He treated me like the queen I knew I was, and I knew God sent him to me for a reason.  That night we held hands and said our own personal little vows and got married with God as our witness.  I found an old ring that I didn't wear anymore and let him place it on my finger. 
  I love this man with all my heart, we are now planning a church wedding, but we will always celebrate our anniversary on the day we got married in our room.