Will Forever Be Enough? Ch. 01

Intro:

Here we go sports fans, another missive from my imagination. Unlike most of my stories, this one is not based on true events. The story line just came to me one day at work. I worked through the plot and the finale had tears in my eyes. There will be a total of 10 chapters, there is no sex in the first one. This is a story of romance, soul mates and true love. Yes, there will be bumps in the road and tragedy along the journey. I ask humbly for your patience and understanding as the story comes together. In the meantime...

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. All acts described herein are between characters of 18 years or older. Always look both ways before crossing the pond. Beware of geeks bearing gifs. An answer known is a power broken. One man's crisis is another man's narcissism. This space to let.

Yes, I need not just an editor but a collaborator as well. I have nearly 20 unfinished stories I need help with so if anyone is interested, please drop me a line. I used my Apple Pages spell checker and the free version of Grammarly to proof this so any other errors I beg forgiveness for...

You votes and comments are always appreciated.

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Hey, my name is John Joseph Steele. That's Steele with three E's, and no, not all together. I never get tired of that joke... I'm a reasonably ordinary man, a little over 6 feet tall about 200 pounds. I'm not ripped, but fit. I don't see the boyish charm and good looks that everybody's been telling me about since I was a little kid. At least by my parents and my wife, the people I respect and love most in the world, have said it to me pretty much every day of our lives together and these people don't lie!

This is a story about a great Romance and like most great romance stories it might not have a happy ending, but that's for you to decide. Let me tell you about our story...

I have always fixed things. It was small engines, then cars, and then computers. I always had a knack for solving problems. There was no puzzle I could not solve. I beat Rubik's Cube 90 seconds the first time I ever touched it and he's in a glass case on my desk to this day. If I put my mind to it I probably could've been World chess champion, but playing and winning games just wasn't enough. I had to be able to solve bigger problems. By the time I was 12 or 13 years old, I was an adviser to all of my school-age friends. If they had a problem with something they would come to me and in a very short amount of time, they would leave me with a smile on their face and a solution. That's what I do, I solve problems. Except for my marriage and my extended family, it's the only thing I've ever truly been good at.

I met my wife Diane first day, the first year of college. We had an English Composition class together. 8 o'clock in the morning on Monday. I sat down and pulled out my notebook along with a pencil and a pen at which point somebody bumped into my shoulder, scattered my items into the floor. I glanced up to see who had bumped into me and she looked down into my eyes. Staring back at me was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen! A young woman that was early barely five feet tall with this mane of bright red hair that might even have been closer to Orange if you put me to the test. I felt an insane flutter in my stomach. My chest was tight, my breathing stopped. For a moment I thought I was having a heart attack. My eyes never left her's. She had become pale and sweaty herself, looking for all the world as if she was about to faint. I leaped from my desk and grabbed her to steady her down into the desk next to me. For a few moments, I knelt on the floor in front of her holding her hand. Our eyes locked together, we both smiled.

"Thank you, sir, for your kind assistance. I'm Diane, Diane Davis."

"Hey, Diane I'm John, John Steele. My closest friends and family call me Jack."

"Then I guess I'll have to call you Jack!"

That's when the teacher walked into the room. I gathered my supplies from the floor and resumed my place at my desk.

I don't think I heard two words that he said for the next 50 minutes. Diane and I sat there the entire time staring at each other. Just before the class broke up the teacher actually started talking directly to the two of us. He eventually cleared his throat loudly as we continued to gaze at each other. The giggles of our classmates caused me to finally surrender Diane's eyes. I looked up at him dumbfounded.

"I have heard that the first day of freshman year is not the best time to meet your soulmate!" our teacher said.

Diane and I stared at him, then stared at each other, then stared back at him again. The entire class was howling in laughter except for our teacher, Diane and I. God, to this day I swear that old man had a tear in the corner of his eye!

As we were walking out of class, I asked Diane for her plans for the morning.

"I'm heading back to my dorm for a while. I have 2 hours until my next class. Would you like to walk with me?"

I nodded with a wide smile and we turned towards her dorm. I'm not sure at what point along the path her hand intertwined with mine, but it did. It felt so right, so natural as if it had always been there. We arrived at the front steps of her dorm. Her such a wee Lass, she stood on the step above mine so we could be eye to eye. In those eyes were such expectation, longing, desire, and adoration. I am absolutely sure mine reflected hers. I reached up and put my arms around her waist. Her hands went behind my neck. We both leaned in and we started to kiss...

Have you ever been fumbling behind a couch with an electrical cord trying to plug in your Christmas tree? Maybe your hand got a little too close to the prongs as it entered the socket? Perhaps felt the jolt of electricity that fills your body and makes you almost want to jump back from the sudden surprise and intensity of it? That's what this kiss was like! There was an actual energy passing between us as if two powerful forces were bonded together. I felt the sudden weight of her as she leaped forward and wrapped her legs around my waist...

I can't tell you how long we kissed. Nothing else in the world mattered.

Finally, someone tapped me on the shoulder and broke our embrace.

The security guard was understanding if somewhat uncomfortable as we peeled ourselves apart.

"Lunch later beautiful?"

"Of course sweet lady, but only if I pay."

"You get dinner, lunch is on me..."

We smiled at each other. We both knew that this was the beginning of something truly special.