Our relationship was nothing short of whirlwind! Marcus and I worked in the same law firm, however, as there were about 600 people working there, I had never laid eyes on him before. The department I was working in at the time had organised a fun afternoon of swing dancing for a group of summer clerks who were with the firm for a few weeks. As we were short on numbers, a handful of staff were invited to attend - Marcus being one of them. I was a bit hesitant about going along as I had a heavy workload at the time, but thought - why not!
When we got there, the swing dancing instructors seemed fun. The man was lively, wearing braces and Ronald McDonald shoes and his lady dance partner was equally lively. While they began running through a few of the basic movies, I found that I was distracted by a tall good-looking guy across the room. I had no idea who he was, but I couldn't stop glancing over at him and hoping that I would get the chance to dance with or at least talk to him during the afternoon.
My prayers were answered! We were told to grab a partner and form a large circle so the fun could begin. I didn't get to dance with Marcus straight away, but as the afternoon went on, we swapped partners so we could dance and introduce ourselves to everyone.
Finally, I got my chance to dance with the tall good-looking guy from across the room. I felt like a school girl again and though I didn't know Marcus from a bar of soap, I KNEW he was the one for me. We made a few jokes about our lack of co-ordination and I was pleased to find that it seemed we had "clicked".
The afternoon flew by and before we knew it, it was time to go back to work. I spent the rest of the day wondering how I could find a way to speak to him again. I'm quite shy when it comes to making the first move, so when my Manager sent around a few digital pictures from the afternoon to all those who went along, I found my opening...
I sent Marcus an e-mail simply saying "Remember the kink" - a simple rule of swing dancing that our instructor had told us, but one which we couldn't seem to master. Biting the bullet and sending Marcus that e-mail was the best thing I ever did.
A few e-mails turned into a cup of coffee the following week, a movie a few days later, then a day trip for a friend's birthday the following weekend. It was after a fantastic day away that I realised I was hooked - and lucky for me - Marcus felt the same. From that day on we were inseparable.
Within a few months of being together, we surprised everyone by buying a house. Though it seemed to many that we'd put the cart before the horse, it couldn't have felt more natural. After 10 wonderful months of being together, and after having a difficult few weeks with work, study and my grandfather passing away, we decided that we would drive to Maroondah Dam (in Victoria) for a BBQ and a day of relaxing. What came of it was so much more!
We spent the day having lunch, feeding the kookaburras, reading the paper and enjoying each other's company. By late afternoon, Marcus suggested we walk to the look-out to enjoy the spectacular view. When we got there, the view was amazing. I was so mesmerised and busy looking at the view that I hadn't noticed Marcus get down on his knee. When I turned around, there he was, on one knee about to propose. As soon as I saw him, tears sprung to my eyes. It had already been a beautiful day, and after Marcus' romantic proposal, it became simply amazing!
Sixteen months later we became husband and wife in front of 80 of our closest friends and family. It was a truly amazing day! Everyone told me that the day would whiz by, and it did, but a friend told me at our reception that we should pick a "moment" and remember it forever. Though I have many "moments" the one I will never forget is looking into Marcus' eyes as I walked down the aisle. It was as if I was seeing him again for the very first time. Although I was fighting back tears, I was beaming through and through. I was about to marry the man of my dreams - the good-looking guy I'd spotted across the room a little over two years earlier. Nothing could take away from that moment!
Now, we are married and I couldn't be happier. We have a lifetime of wonderful times ahead of us, and all because of "The Kink".
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