I Got it Right the First Time

Sometimes you get things right the very first time out.

I fell in love with my wife on our first date. I knew that night that she was the girl for me and after 20 years, she still is.

What's funny about that date is that while we were on it together, she wasn't my date and I wasn't hers!

I will start at the beginning so that you get a clear picture of my life at the time all of this happened. My name is Ben Mathers and I'm an attorney. I wasn't always a success, in my junior years of high school, it seemed as though I was heading towards a career working in a factory or as a mechanic. I'm not putting people who do those jobs down, I just wasn't applying myself the way I should have been.

I was lazy and getting by on charm (one reason I am a good lawyer, my wife says I charmed the pants off of her -- literally) and my looks. I'm tall, dark and handsome (her words and, of course, she's biased) and I have a family who have money. Dad wasn't born wealthy, he worked hard for his and he made it clear to me that if I didn't start applying myself, I wasn't seeing a dime of his money when I graduated.

That didn't faze me at the time because I always had pals willing to pay my tab and I was even low enough to find a few girls willing topay for the date just so they could go out with me. Yeah, I know ... in those days, I was a Grade-A asshole.

Things turned around the year before graduation. I decided to run for Class President, figuring it would be a kick, just a laugh. I won and now I had responsibilities. Here's where things started to change. I had a few great teachers and members of the faculty take an interest in me. They assured me I had the brains to achieve whatever goals I set. They pointed out to me that by getting this job, my fellow students had placed their trust in me. God knows how it did, but it all sunk in. By the middle of that year, the former C-average student was making straight-A's. I never missed a student council meeting, I spearheaded food drives and attended every rally, everything that needed doing, I did. I still remember my father actually tearing up and shaking my hand, telling me that he was proud of me. That day was one of the three best of my life, my graduation from law school and my wedding day being the other two. Add the birth of my kids and you've got the top 5.

Being the person I was meant to become hadn't quite happened yet. I was now a focused and hard-working young man. My family was proud of me and my fellow students were rallying behind me. I finally got up the nerve to ask out the hottest girl in school. Her name was Tracey Turner and I thought that she was so hot that she could have melted the polar ice caps. Tall and blonde and sexy and from a good-looking family too -- 3 sisters and not a bad-looking one in the bunch, although in my opinion, Tracey topped the list. I'd had a thing for her since the 8th Grade but I was too much on an idiot to garner her interest. Not now. I thought I had a shot and I asked her out. She said yes, with one proviso. I had to find a date for her best friend.

I didn't think that would present much challenge, although I did know there would be some challenge. Jasmine was her best friend, an exotic, half-black beauty that a lot of guys would love to have dated. She, like Tracey, was beauty-queen material and a bit of a fashion plate.

She also had a reputation of being hell on wheels. A lot of the guys I knew that had dated her said she was rough going. Tracey couldn't see her friend's flaws; all she saw was the positive. I knew I had some selling to do. So who did I want to drag into this double date mess?

I decided that the victim -- I mean, thelucky guy -- would be my friend, Cory. He owed me a favor; I had gotten him a date for the prom with my cousin Rachel the previous year. Rachel is a tall, leggy brunette who still models for fashion magazines and she was 2 years older. What's more, she really liked Cory and likely would have gone out with him again if he hadn't snuck a flask along with them and gotten drunk. I assumed that Rachel's kicking him in the unmentionables later that night and nearly getting expelled had likely smartened him up. A year should mature us somewhat, right?

I asked Cory and he was thrilled with the chance to date Jasmine. I read him the riot act beforehand. "This date with Tracey is very important to me," I told him. "You screw it up for me and it won't be Rachel kicking you in the cojones," I made sure he got the point. From the look of pain that I saw on his face when I said those words, I think he got my point.

I know that Tracey was looking forward to our date, I could tell from the look on her face when I saw her the next day. I had a fairly good reputation as a nice guy by that point and I wasn't hard on the eyes. I had enough money saved to do it up right and I made sure Cory knew to bring a little extra cash and that he knew this wasn't the kind of date where he could wear jeans. Tracey Turner and Jasmine were going to get a nice evening on the town courtesy of their dates.

From the second that I saw Tracey, I knew I had picked the right girl. She was stunning in a very slinky black cocktail dress that had a high slit on one side. Tracey had great legs and in the heels she wore with the dress, they were very nicely showcased. The dress was almost as tight as a layer of Saran Wrap and my dream girl was now a walking sex fantasy. I am sure my reaction must have shown on my face because I remember the way she was smiling at me when I escorted her to the car. I had worked very hard for the past few years to be able to buy my own car. Unlike a lot of my pals who drove heaps, my car was only a few years old and in immaculate condition. There wasn't a speck of rust or dirt on it; I had made sure it sparkled the day before our date.

Jasmine looked really nice that night as well. She was wearing a tailored black pantsuit, very nice jewelry that looked expensive, a pretty blouse and heels. Instead of her usual ponytail, she had her hair long and flowing. I wasn't aware it was that long. She and Cory seemed to be getting along well enough and I thought the evening was starting to look quite promising.

I chose a restaurant that wasn't too over the top so as to make the girls uncomfortable or to break our budgets. I had more money than Cory, although he insisted that he had listened to me and brought enough to cover his share of the tab. The staff fawned over us just enough to impress Tracey and Jasmine and everyone in the place noticed the two young guys with the two attractive women. We all seemed to be getting along well enough and there was lots of friendly banter between the four of us. Tracey and Cory were getting along like a house on fire, which took me a bit by surprise. I thought perhaps that he'd be a bit too crude for her; it seemed that I was mistaken. He was making cute little innuendoes and my date seemed a bit more impressed than his. Jasmine and I talked a bit as well and this time, there wasn't the usual tension there often was between us. Now that she had let her hair down -- literally and figuratively -- she was really very nice. I thought perhaps some of my buds that had been out with her simply weren't up to the challenge. I figured it out soon enough; Jasmine simply couldn't tolerate stupid men.

Our meal had come to an end and the four of us were still chatting. I asked the girls if they wanted dessert. Cory looked at me and I gave him the signal that I could cover the extra if they did. I thought that things were going well enough that it was too early to end our evening out just after dinner. I'm not sure just what I was expecting.

Tracey smiled at me and said that she'd have to think about it and said she'd have to go to the little girl's room. She didn't ask Jasmine to come with her. Cory said that he needed to go outside and grab a smoke. I thought that he'd quit months earlier, but I didn't think anything of it at the time.

It took me about twenty minutes to figure it out and even then, it was Jasmine who pointed it out to me. "They've ditched us," she said to me. "They were really hitting it off and I think Cory was hitting on your date. Those shits have taken off together and left you stuck with the bill."

I have no idea what my face looked like at that moment. I am sure my reaction was priceless. "Are you sure about that, Jasmine?" I asked her.

"Let me check the powder room," she smiled and stood up. She was back in less than two minutes. "Yeah, they've ditched us alright. No one there and one of the servers said that she saw two people leave out the back way."

I was shocked by the behavior of these two individuals. Jasmine sat back down. "He left you with the entire bill, didn't he? She asked me. She reached for her purse. "Can you cover it? I've got some money I brought for emergencies if you can't."

I waved my hand. "No, it's okay -- you were supposed to be our guests, I brought enough in case we wanted to go somewhere after. I can't believe they did that, I thought Tracey was into me. I thought Cory liked you and he's supposed to be my friend. What a truly shitty thing to do," I said, burying my face in my hands to get over my shock.

"I can't believe they pulled it off under our noses," Jasmine laughed a bit. "Still, if it makes you feel any better, I think Tracey's a fool. Cory was --okay -- but you look great tonight and I've told Tracey how impressed I am at what you've accomplished this past year. You ask me, she traded down."

"Thanks," I said to Jasmine. "I'd heard all these things about my friends about your reputation and none of them are true. You're attractive, intelligent company; I think all of them were intimidated by your brains. Your beauty sure didn't help, I'm sure," I told her.

"Oh please, I'm not in Tracey's league," Jasmine waved her hand.

"No, you are in a league all of your own," I answered honestly. "You looked beautiful tonight and I enjoyed talking to you. You ask me, I think that maybe both of our dates traded down."

Jasmine looked at me with a million-gigawatt smile. "Am I mistaken or do we actually like each other?"

I shook my head. "You're not mistaken." I smiled again and said "I mentioned dessert earlier. I could use some coffee, interested?"

Jasmine smiled and nodded at me. "Why not? I'm a big girl and I don't have a curfew. I'm not too worried about watching my figure," she chuckled.

"No, you leave that to me," I grinned.

"Why Ben Mathers, are you flirting with me?" Jasmine smiled.

"Little bit," I grinned. "How am I doing?"

"Pretty well," Jasmine smiled again. "I'll let you know after dessert and coffee."

The rest of the evening continued along from there. We had dessert, we had coffee and we flirted all though that. I was now 100% positive that I'd traded up. Jasmine was witty and sexy and a wonderful conversationalist. That mattered to me. I found myself hanging on her every word, not to mention getting lost in the dark, beautiful eyes that kept looking back at me.

They were closing the place when we finished, so I settled our bill. Jasmine insisted on paying the tip and we took a cab back to her place. Before I knew what hit me, she pulled me close and planted a really hot kiss on me, one of the sexiest I've ever had. "That's just to let you know that was the best date I've ever been on," she said to me. "I'm asking you to take me out again because I know you felt it tonight, you simply couldn't have missed our mutual attraction. I'll see you on Monday and handsome, try to refrain from beating Cory to a bloody pulp, okay?" She laughed and went inside.

I must have stood there without blinking for about 5 minutes, wondering what had just happened. I had been on a date with one girl and ended up on one with another and I knew that I'd come out far ahead. Asking Jasmine out again had been in the back of my mind, but she had just solved that problem for me. Cory and Tracey had done us both an unintentional solid, even if it had cost me a lot of extra cash.

When I saw Jasmine at school Monday, she was all smiles. She looked around to see that no teachers were watching as PDA was frowned upon in those days. We were in the clear so I got another kiss. Not as hot as the one I'd received the other night, but warm enough to let me know what she was still into me. I found myself wondering if I had found a new girlfriend. Before I could say anything, she handed me a wad of bills. "What's this?" I asked her.

"Tracey's share of the bill," she told me and squeezed my hand tight. "I asked you not to beat Cory to a bloody pulp, I didn't say I wasn't going to kick thecrap out of Tracey," she said as we walked down the hall to our classes. "Those two actually went and got a motel room with his share of the money and fucked all night. What creeps! Tracey and I are so over and if you're smart, you'll cut Cory from your list of friends too," she suggested. "We both deserve better."

I nodded and agreed. "You're right, although I intend to get his share of the bill, even if I do have to threaten him a bit," I told her. "His folks are super-religious, his dad is a minister. I don't think they'd like knowing what their son was up to all night," I said to a giggling Jasmine.

"Oh, that's evil," Jasmine laughed. "Still, I can't find myself getting to mad at them. If they hadn't done what they did, I wouldn't have found my new boyfriend."

I am sure they saw me smiling from space. "That's funny, I was thinking along those same lines myself," I said, risking a kiss on her beautiful face. "Coffee after school?"

"I'll probably float through my day," Jasmine sighed. "You bet, I'll see you then."

Jasmine's words kept going through my mind the entire day of class. I've been told I was physically present, but I don't remember a thing about that day in school, aside from one thing. Cory was "sick" and didn't come to school that day. It didn't matter, I could deal with him sooner or later. I knew where he lived and he couldn't avoid me forever -- not if he didn't want me speaking with his family. I was serious about that, I don't like being screwed over. It's the lawyer in me, I am not afraid to get litigious.

We met up after school and went for coffee. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, I loved the way she walked. Her white jeans were so tight they looked as if they had been painted on. She had worn her hair down again today and I'm sure half the guys in school were staring at her. Jasmine wore little makeup that day, she didn't need to. The only person she had to look good for was me and I was already smitten.

"Are we really going to do this?" I asked her. "It just seems it came right out of left field."

"Are you having doubts?" She asked me, a look of panic in her eyes. I never wanted to see that look again and I went to her side of the booth and hugged her.

"No, not ever," I told her. There weren't any rules about PDA in the coffee shop, so I gave her a kiss. "You're the perfect girl for me, it was just so overwhelming. I didn't want you to have any regrets."

"THAT won't ever happen," Jasmine sighed as she let herself relax. "I knew about 20 minutes into our double date that I would rather have been with you than Cory. I thought Tracey was a lucky bitch. Well, my EX-best friend is never getting you back, you're all mine and I'm not letting you go," she said as she kissed me softly. I was sure some of the other kids in the coffee shop would be reporting the news to some of the other kids in school. Good -- it would let everyone know that as far as we were concerned, both Jasmine and I were off the market.

The world spread faster than either of us expected that it would. About a month after we became an item, I was summoned to Jasmine's home. It was on the pretext of having dinner, but the both of us knew what I was really there for. I was being checked out to see if I met her parent's criteria. I already knew that her brother didn't approve of us dating. That didn't bother me. I had two things on my side -- confidence and Jasmine's love. With those behind me, I didn't need anything else.

By the end of dinner, I felt as if I had known these people forever. Jasmine's mom gave me a big hug at the end of the night and turned to her daughter. "You traded up," she said to her daughter.

"That's what I keep telling him," Jasmine said with a laugh as she kissed me goodnight in front of everyone. Even her brother eventually came around and he is now one of my closest friends.

I wasn't about to let something this perfect slip away from me. I had a long talk with my parents and the day after graduation, I took Jasmine back to the place where we'd first fallen in love. I got down on one knee and held out the case that contained a small ring. I think I had known from the beginning I'd met the girl for me. I babbled on about destiny and fate and all sorts of other things until Jasmine kissed me to stop me from going on. With her eyes full of tears, she told me that she'd said "yes" about 5 minutes ago. I picked up my new fiancé and whirled her around while everyone nearby cheered.

We agreed it would be a long engagement, as I was now sure I was going to law school. My lovely fiancé insisted I had too much potential to waste. "I can wait as long as it takes," Jasmine told me. "This just signifies what I've known since our first date, we are meant to be together," she said as she waved her ring finger around. "My family is going to want to have a big, fancy engagement party, you know that?" She asked. I did know that, by then I was already a member of the family and my future mother-in-law told me several times she couldn't have found a better man for her daughter.

Then she turned to me and said "We should have a private celebration. Let's have dinner here next week, enjoy the evening and then we can spend a romantic evening together, just the two of us."

Any time I could spend alone with Jasmine was fine by me. She pulled my face to hers and kissed me, then said "Suit and tie, mister. I want my man looking his best when we celebrate our engagement together."

I nodded and hugged her as tight as I could. Not for an instant did I ever doubt she was the right one for me. I was almost grateful that Tracey and Cory had done what they did. Not grateful enough that I would forgive them for being total jerks, but grateful. Oddly enough, their attraction was only physical and it burned out in about 3 weeks.

My family and Jasmine's family threw us the huge party we had expected. Everyone was thrilled for us and they all understood not to expect a wedding for a long, long time. Jasmine's mother kept saying it would give her enough time to plan a spectacular wedding and my fiancé just rolled her eyes. I could see it when she smiled at me though, she wanted to be in front of everyone, saying her vows and confirming our love. I wanted it just as much.

The Saturday of our dinner together, I did everything I could to look my best. I got a haircut and a manicure, professional shave and had my suit pressed. I had my mom pick out my best tie and my shoes were so shiny that you could have used them as mirrors. When I drove to pick up my lady, I felt underdressed.

She was wearing a beautiful black evening gown that was amazing and sexy and ... hell, all these years later, I am still at a loss for words. Her heels were at least 5 inches and she had done herself up beautifully, eyes line and lips so yielding and kissable that I nearly forgot we were going to dinner. I held her hand and kissed her hello, almost forgetting we were going to dinner. She looked like a model, far older than her 18 years. I fell in love with her all over again on that very spot.

Our dinner was everything I could have wanted it to be, we even got away with ordering wine and no one checked. My lady was bright and giggly and utterly charming and I was still in disbelief that she was really mine. That I was going to be by her side for the rest of my life. Most guys my age would have cringed at that thought. Not I. I would have married her that very night if I hadn't had long-term plans for our future. I wanted to give her everything she was entitled to and more, all she would ever have to do is ask.