Reminiscing on my memories

When I think back to how I first met Dave I still smile. It was such a bizarre way that we 'met' each other and yet there was something about him I just knew I had to see this guy in person. Let me tell you the story...1

I was 18 years old and at college at the time. I had been out with my room mates that night, dancing and drinking and had finally got home around 3am. I remember stumbling into my room still laughing and collapsing on to my bed, I knew I had classes at 10am so really needed some sleep. I had been in a relationship since I was 15 but we had grown apart and split before I went to college, but we still had this stupid thing where we would end up doing the drunken "I love you and miss you" phone-calls. Well, my room mates had sat me down some weeks before and said I had to stop doing it, it was just confusing and hurting myself so they had convinced me to delete his number once and for all from my cell phone. So, this night as I am drunkenly lying on the bed all I can think about is how much I want to call him and I remember reaching for my phone. I was sure my memory was serving me correctly as I typed in his number. I think the message just said something like "R U awake, I miss you xx?" and then I pressed send.2

I got no reply until the next morning when I was already in class. We weren't supposed to have our phones on but I always kept mine on switched to silent. So there I was nursing my hangover and trying to stay awake through our lecture when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I held it under the desk and read the message. "I wasn't awake at 3am but I am now, why do you miss me?" So I type a reply saying I was sorry, I was drunk and having one of those moments again and now I was sober I gave him the obligatory line of "it won't happen again, don't worry". Seconds after hitting send my phone vibrated again with a reply. "Your message doesn't make sense to me, who is this?"3

After a few messages had gone back and forth it became clear that in my drunkenness the number I thought was for my ex I had got completely wrong. This was some strange guy in London I had been texting! I apologised for the mistake and again blamed my drunkenness and thought all was forgotten, until a few weeks later in the early hours of the morning my phone lit up with a message saying, "You never did tell me your name".4

And that's how it all started. I wouldn't normally tell a stranger anything about myself but there was just something about it all that made it seem ok. So we sent messages to each other and eventually decided to have a chat on the phone. He had an amazing voice and was extremely funny, I would sit there in hysterics listening to his stories. He was 10 years older than me and had seen a lot of the world, he had a very good job and clearly had the lifestyle to match. Talking to him took my mind off the fact that I was a struggling student, hours away from my family, doing a course that I no longer knew if I liked. I would sit there and close my eyes as he told me about exotic countries and amazing art galleries, wishing I could experience that life as well.5

After we had been chatting for maybe 6 months I asked him one day to send me a photo of himself. I wanted to put a face to the name so he agreed and asked me to do the same. I think we were both pleasantly surprised when we received each other's pictures. He was average in height with messy short brown hair and an athletic frame. He dressed smart but casual and had stunning blue eyes. His smile had something really cheeky about it, it completely suited his comedian personality. I was really drawn to him and knew I wanted to meet him in person. The trouble was he was in London and I was 500 miles north in Scotland. Only an hour by plane or 7 by car, it wasn't too far really. When I brought up the subject of us meeting he seemed just as enthusiastic as me. It was September then and my birthday is in the October just 3 days after his. So we decided to meet and have a joint birthday celebration - just the two of us! It would be my 19th and his 29th but the age gap meant nothing to me, in fact I didn't even think about it.6

I was so fascinated by his life in London that I decided I would fly down to him for our meet. He was really generous and paid for me to stay in a hotel near his house while I paid my air fare. I cautiously told my room mates what I was planning to do, they were both nervous and excited for me. They knew the whole story on the wrong text and how we now talked every day and just told me to have fun but be careful.7

I will never forget the day we first met, the butterflies in my stomach that morning, the phone calls to each other checking we would both be there and wanted to do this. I will never forget boarding the plane with my stomach in knots, hoping and praying that when I got to the other end we would at least have a great laugh together if nothing else. I will never forget walking into the arrivals area in London and scanning everyone's faces trying to pick him out from the crowd. I will never forget the moment I heard him shout my name and turning to see him stand with a bunch of beautiful pink flowers (my favourite colour) and a massive smile on his face. I will never forget walking over to him and him pulling me into a tight hug and hearing his voice in person for the first time say in my ear "it's so good to finally meet you".8

We spent that day sight seeing in London, he took me to all the best tourist spots and we had a brilliant time. Every time we looked at each other there was an urge to start giggling because we couldn't believe it was actually happening. He held my hand all day long and although it seems hard to believe I knew I was falling for him already. I didn't want to stay in the hotel alone that night so he stayed with me, nothing happened not even a kiss, but I wanted to spend every minute of my 3 days in London with him. 9

The second day was my birthday and he made it absolutely amazing. We got up early and had breakfast brought to us which we ate on the hotel balcony watching the city awake. After getting showered and dressed we went to an area by the river where there are art galleries, market stalls selling crafts and jewellery, there are fire eaters and clowns in stilts. So many amazing things to watch. He took me to the most beautiful restaurant for dinner that night on a boat which sailed down the same river. We sat on the deck and drank champagne and ate delicious food. Afterwards we went to an amazing theatre show in the west end, then finally it was time to head back to the hotel. As we sat in the cab I was so happy and exhausted at our day I remember turning to him and saying thank you for making my birthday so special and at that moment we shared our first kiss. It was heaven.10

My third and last day we went to the zoo and then to the aquarium which were fantastic. We had an amazing picnic in the park which he had sneakily pre-ordered from a delicatessen and then ended the day with a trip on the big ferris wheel which was simply amazing at night seeing the whole city from above, all lit up. 11

And then it was time to go home. I was really fighting the tears as we said our goodbye's at the airport and I could see he was too. We had both had such a fantastic time and didn't want it to end. After one last kiss and one last look at each other I had to go.12

When I got back to Scotland our phone-calls continued as before just became more and more often now. Some times we would speak in the morning before his work and my classes then again at lunch, again when we had both finished and again before bedtime. Phone bills were huge for us both but we didn't care. November flew past and we were both desperate to see each other again so decided on the week between Christmas and New Year and this time he would come to me.13

When the time finally arrived it was snowing so bad. But it was a great few days together, I showed him the sights which were hard to see because of the snow so mainly we ended up pub crawling and warming ourselves up with more and more vodka! But we still had such a great time. I remember on his last night we went to a night club and when we got out at 3am the snow was over a foot high, no cabs could get near and I only had a dress and strappy heels on, so he had to carry me on his back for about a mile before we reached a road clear enough to get a cab. He was swaying as he drunkenly walked and at one point dropped me right in a pile of snow. We both burst out laughing and he wiped my hair from my face and gave me the most sensual kiss I had ever felt. I felt myself falling in love with him.14

After our Christmas meeting it was Easter before we saw each other again. Those months passed so slowly and we missed each other terribly. The phone calls helped, at least I could close my eyes and listen to his voice and imagine he was next to me, talking gently in my ear. But each day as I sat in class he was the only thought on my mind. I just wanted to be with him again so much and it hurt so so bad that I couldn't just call him up and say "can I see you tonight?". He sent me romantic messages every day and when he knew I was missing him real bad he would surprise me with gifts turning up at my apartment. They were beautiful and romantic but nothing compared to just being with him in person, holding his hand, looking into his eyes, seeing his cheeky smile. I missed them all so much.15

I was going back to London for 5 days this time and I was also at a point where I knew I was in the wrong college course so I decided to leave. I was going to have 5 days with him then move back to my parents until I decided what to do next. That time when I stayed in London I stayed at his apartment. It was so weird seeing all the things that he had spoken about on the phone, silly little things like paintings he had described to me 60's retro style, and now I was actually seeing them with my own eyes. Something strange happened that visit, it was like we both deliberately forgot I was only to be there 5 days and when I started packing to leave at the end of the trip he took my hand and just said "don't go". 16

And that was the beginning of my new life in London. I ended up staying there for 3 years having the best 3 years of my life, finding a great job and amazing friends. In those 3 years we had amazing holidays, he showed me parts of the world I would never have imagined visiting. He showed me some of the best times of my life that I will never ever forget, and gave me some of my happiest most treasured memories. Sadly, after we were approaching 4 years since we had first spoken, cracks began to show. He was working 60 hour weeks and I had became ill and had to leave my job. With me sitting in the house all day and barely seeing him we just grew apart and we both knew it wasn't working anymore. We first spoke when I was 18 and by that point I was 22, he had shown me some fantastic times but it was time for me to go back home. We said our last goodbye's and I returned to Scotland. I have never looked back but always held my memories close.17

Since returning to Scotland and having a couple of years of being single and getting over my illness I met my fiance when I was 24. He is an amazing man and although we lived only minutes from each other I had to go through the whole long distance thing again when he went to Iraq with the army for 6 months. It was an unbearably hard time being apart but our love and once a week telephone calls got us through it. I am pleased to say that he has now left the army and we are very happy living together and planning our wedding for April 2009. Every so often I think about London and don't regret one moment of it, it was some of the best years of my life.