A Love Story chapter 3 ~ I Think I LoveYou...?

February 1st brought Dee's birthday. I wanted to do something for him but I was broke. Kathy was a cake decorator and while she was probably still mad at Dee, she wanted to help me. He was sick in bed with a bad cold so she made him a cake that looked like a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. We took it to his apartment together and were briefly allowed in his room. (BYU Honor Code rules, you know!) I think he was genuinely surprised and perhaps a little touched by our gesture. While in his room I noticed a photo on his desk of a very pretty girl playing a guitar. Did he have a girl friend back home?! Is that why we didn't seem to be getting anywhere? Kathy had noticed it too. We talked about it into the night. I was sick in my stomach with worry and sadness.

As it just so happened, the young lady was indeed his gal from home. He had dated her quite a bit the previous year and they had talked a little bit about marriage. However, as his time to leave for Provo drew near she became possessive to the point of suffocation. I think it was her goal to get him to pop the question sooner rather than later. He determined to date as many girls as he could and try to figure it all out in the process. He hadn't counted on meeting me! While he was still not sure where our relationship should head, he knew at last that he had to break it off with Little Miss Guitar. He thought a quick trip home to Rexburg, Idaho would be the best way. President's Day was coming and so the trip was planned. On the afternoon he left I happened to be at his building picking up my mail. I saw him hauling a suitcase out to his car and asked if he was going home for the weekend. He told me "yes" and said he'd be back late Monday night. As he drove away I was suddenly overcome by emotion! It was so strong and sure and hit me out of the blue. I knew I was in love and I knew I didn't want to be away from him! (Poor Kathy! She had to console me all that long holiday weekend!) What did she do? She took me to see "Ice Castles", a current movie that was very romantic (sob!).

When he returned to Provo something had changed in Dee. He seemed happier and spent more time with me. March brought St. Patrick's Day. We celebrate this day in our home every year not because St. Paddy drove all of the snakes out of Ireland but because of an anniversary. On that particular day in 1979 Dee arranged a special date for us. When he arrived to pick me up he blindfolded me (much to my annoyance...my hair, after all!) and put me in the back of a car. We were chauffeured for miles. I was told we were headed up the canyon to a little lodge called the "Shamrock Inn". When the car came to a stop, Dee told me that we had to walk on a path a little way to get to the Inn. I was still blindfolded and little did I know that he was parading me around our neighborhood in Provo. I heard "Ooh, aah, how sweet!" quite a few times as I stumbled on. When at last we were inside somewhere and the blindfold was removed I found that the "Shamrock Inn" was his place, Miller Apts. #11. It smelled delicious too! With the help of my roommates he had a steak dinner cooking! He served me steak, green salad, green beans, green punch, green mashed potatoes, and green jello! I was amused and touched that he would go to so much trouble for me. After dinner he took me on a little ride. We ended up walking on the big open field where the Harmon building now stands. With the Provo Temple glowing in the background and the stars up above (I didn't look up this time) he took me in his arms and gave me my first kiss! How was your first kiss? Was it as dreamy as mine? I was dizzy, I was! He told me I was such a natural at it that he still didn't believe it was my first. (Hooray for me!)
In the following weeks we spent every moment possible together.There are so many details here that are in my journal and I do not want to draw this out too long, but let's just say that one night at Brick Oven Pizza he held my hand across the table and said, "Marianne, I think I love you." I was stunned! Here were the words I was waiting to hear and suddenly I froze! I had been praying for weeks to know if this relationship was heading in the right direction and here was my answer! THIS WAS SERIOUS! I was terrified! All I could come up with was a weak "Thank you." (Sheesh! I was inexperienced wasn't I?) For the next week he hung in there. He told me every night before he went home that he loved me and I answered with a lame "Thank you!" He had decided that if I wasn't in love with him and couldn't say it by Saturday night then that was it. I didn't know this of course, but when he walked me to my door that Saturday evening and told me he loved me I was suddenly full of courage! I knew I had to say it, and yes, everything was about to change. I simply said, "I love you too!" You should have seen the look on his face! He was overjoyed!

Heap's Brick Oven (as it was known then). The scene of the crime was in the booth closest on the right. You can just see the tablecloth peeking out!

...one more chapter to go!