A few weekends ago was our 2 anniversary!!!! It has been the best two years ever! We had a great weekend and to start it off we went out to dinner with some friends. While waiting to be seated we ran in to another friend; (that’s you Eiona!) and when we told her it was our anniversary she asked us how did we get together after so many years apart. We started to tell her the story and then we thought, since it truly is the best story ever, why not write a post about it to share with everyone?

Duane and I met in high school and were always very close, but I moved to New York and we lost touch. In 2011 Duane sent me a Facebook friend request and we started talking daily. On a Friday night at the end of September, Duane and I were on the phone and I said “I can be in DC in 4 hours” and Duane replied “me too”. We had no clue to the adventure we were embarking on.

Neither of us are familiar with the DC area so we didn’t specify a specific spot to meet, and said we would keep in touch a long the way. Duane reached Washington a lot faster than expected and I was still a ways away. I suggested for him to keep driving north and we would meet in Maryland. From all the trips on I95 the one town’s name I remembered in Maryland was Towson; and that is where we decided to meet. About 4.5 hours it into the trip we were on the phone, driving around Towson on Joppa Rd trying to find each other. Duane had pulled off into a convenient store/gas station to wait for me. A car with an older woman driving around saw him, and pulled up beside him. She told Duane that she needed his help, she was about to go in to a diabetic shock and needed him to call 911. Now by this point, it is after 3 in the morning. Duane was still on the phone with me as she was talking to him; he told her he would call…as soon as he flagged me down (I was right in front of the gas station), Awww ;). We stayed in the parking lot until the paramedics arrived. When we got into our cars to find a hotel, my car wouldn’t start. It was so late…or I should say early in the morning we decided to leave it and come back later in the day (luckily later that day it was still there… and it did start.)

It took us awhile to find a hotel, but when we did we didn’t care what place it was or where it was; we were just happy to not be driving. We had an awesome weekend catching up and being in each others company. Sunday came way too fast and we were not ready to leave each other. We spent a nice chunk of time in the parking lot discussing when we would see each other again. Jokingly I commented about my car and how it didn’t start in the parking lot on Friday. Duane reassured me nothing was going to happen, but if it did he would turn around.

One hour in to the drive the lights on the dashed turned on and my car slowly lost speed. I pulled over to the side of the road, right in front of exit 100 on 95 just in to Delaware. I immediately called Duane and when he answered the phone the first thing I said was well, I don’t remember the exact words but it was something like “remember when I said what if my car breaks down… it did!” He told me not to worry and he was turning around and he would get to me as soon as he could. As expected after being on the road an hour and drinking a coffee I really had to use the bathroom. Luckily I was near a wooded area but of course I broke down in front of the thorny area of the woods…ouch. An hour and a half  later Duane pulled up behind me (faster than we thought), and we called a tow truck, who brought us to a mechanic. It being Sunday, they wouldn’t get a chance to look at the car until the following day.

While it sucked to have broken down, I was happy that Duane and I were able to spend another day and a half together. After checking in to the closest place we could find, a Motel 6, I went outside to make a few phone calls. An undercover cop approached me and asked if I had seen any suspicious vehicles or activity. Apparently there was a recent escape from the local jail and the man and woman in question had been seen at the motel.  After answering the officer and listening to his instructions on what to do if we see them or their suspected vehicle, I quickly retreated to the room. We decided not to go out of the room after dark.

Monday morning the mechanic called and told us the problem was the fuel pump. Breaking down out-of-state is horrible; the mechanics know you have to get home somehow so they feel they can charge anything they want. Maybe it is me being cynical but, I think he overcharged me. I did not have the money, and Duane, being the most awesome man alive, took care of it for me. Honestly, I can’t think of another person that would do that.

Tuesday came way too fast and we really did not want our adventure to end. We prolonged our packing until the front office told us they were going to charge us another day if we didn’t get out of the room. So we stayed in the parking lot for at least another hour instead. This was the hardest good-bye ever; we both knew that we are meant for each other.

This really is the best story ever, and like my drawing says, it was legendary! (I didn’t use the word epic… because it is the most over and misused word today….I just wanted to express my dislike for that word.)

* Good to know: If you are ever on 95 and you see a sign that says “Speed checked by radar” it is true, and they will send you a ticket. I received that memento from Baltimore three days later.

Tagged: high school. Towson MD, love, Our Story