Breathless

So Miranda has gotten swept off her damn feet people. Jethro, who I mentioned briefly in the “Woo or Boo” post, has just knocked this girl for a loop. Briefly, Jethro (not his real name – it’s a nickname he got in the marines) is 44, 6’3, brown hair with a touch of gray, hazel eyes, spent over 20 years as a marine, and lives just on the other side of town from me. He got out of the marines a couple years ago after spending all that time as an aviation mechanic and decided to take advantage of the GI bill and get some sort of advance degree in mechanics. He’s been in school and working at an automotive place full time ever since. He’s been divorced for about six years and he’s got a 16 year old son who lives a couple hours away.


So about a week ago he messaged me on Plenty of Fish. I’d looked at his profile a few times before that so I was happy to reply. We exchanged a few messages back and forth and he asked for my number. We started texting and talking pretty much non-stop to the tune of us being on the phone as much as 2.5 hours one night (and Miranda hates talking on the phone). We had planned to go out for the first time today but honestly by Friday we were both dying to meet each other face to face. Sunday I managed to pull in some babysitting time and dropped the kids off with my sister to go meet Jethro and take a little walk in the park and talk face to face.

We’d arranged to meet at Starbucks in this very popular shopping center. I got there first and was waiting for him out front and being the Christmas season, the place was freaking nuts. He pulled up a few minutes later and I suggested we skip Starbucks and just head over to the park. I hopped in his car and we just sat there for a minute and stared at each other. It was kind of surreal to see Jethro after we’d spent so much time talking. We were both kind of speechless at first and then we just started smiling and laughing.

It took like 2 minutes to get to the park and again we sat there and just kind of stared at each other. I jumped out of the car because it was just kind of crazy and intense looking at him and we cut through this field headed for a trail to walk on. I was a couple steps ahead of Jethro when he grabbed my arm, spun me around, and just enveloped me in the biggest hug. We stood there for a minute like that and I started to pull back and we had that moment where you can both tell you’re thinking about kissing each other but someone has to make the first move to lean in. I could see Jethro was thinking about it and wanting to do it but he’s been such a gentleman I think he was afraid I’d think he was too forward or something. After I swear what felt like 10 minutes he started to let go and I just acted on blind instinct and reach up and pulled his face down to mine and we had this great “scene out of a movie” first kiss. Afterwards we both started laughing and he grabbed my hand and we strolled on to the trail.

We spent the next hour and half walking, talking, laughing, and doing more than a little kissing. It was freaking magical and that’s not even an understatement. I have never felt so immediately comfortable with someone – like mentally, emotionally, and physically comfortable. Jethro is just amazing. He’s so refreshingly direct and honest. He says exactly what’s on his mind and how he feels. And Jethro is so interested in me and what makes me tick and what’s going on in my head. Why I think the things I do or things that have happened in my life. It’s like he’s fascinated with me. He’s made his intentions so completely clear. It’s just crazy. I can’t say I’ve ever felt like I knew totally where I stood with someone like this before. Maybe that’s why I just feel so at ease with him. Like being with him is the most natural thing in the world, the place where I’m supposed to be. By the end of our date, we had already both said we were immediately deleting our POF accounts and that we didn’t want to see anyone else. Yeah, he’s that good that Miranda’s put on blinders already.

And he’s so genuinely nice but not in a creepy stalker “it puts the lotion on or it gets the hose again” way. He’s never anything but gentlemanly and he has yet to say even the tiniest thing that borders on inappropriate. And he does stuff like this. Yesterday we were talking about a country singer we both like. I mentioned that I’d heard he was going to have a concert here in February. Jethro said he’d love to take me to it and I was in. Then he asked if I’d mind him inviting his 16 year old niece to go with us because she loves this singer too and her family rarely has the money to do stuff like that. I mean how many guys would 1 - make plans that far in advance and 2 – want to treat their 16 year old niece to something like that?

I’m so cheesy right now. Like I get a text from him or see his name pop up on my caller id and I can’t help but have the biggest cheesy grin. It’s crazy and overwhelming and amazing and it's left me more than a little breathless. Hopefully it’s the start of something really, really good.

Miranda

PS – I was doing a little astrological research about a Gemini woman – Cancer man match I found this and so far, it’s to the letter true. Cancer is very protective and careful about building a relationship. He makes sure she feels comfortable and secure every step of the way. Although she hardly needs it, he reassures her she is #1 and special by words and deeds. Cancers don’t play games, being security oriented and nurturing, and Gemini, though a wicked game player under some circumstances, is not encouraged to be that way by a Cancer. He gives her so much steady and sincere attention, it takes her restlessness away.

PPS – If you’re keeping track, Jethro scores 100% on my manifesto list.