As I sit down to write this I am filled with much hesitation as I am not sure how you, the reader, will take it. For that matter I am not sure how I feel about it. While I am a believer in life’s mysteries some of the events and things that have happened leave me scratching my head. This is a tale of one of those events.
Over fifteen years ago I worked managing the local movie theater. It was a fun job to say the least but I did have to manage a large group of teenagers, which brought with it its own set of challenges. Young people like to hang around their friends when they are working. They would come to be with one another and share events of their life. Sometimes, however, they would come and try to pressure their friend into giving them free popcorn or sneak them into a movie. Needless to say I spent a lot of my time watching the young staff to make sure nothing like this happened.
My first meeting…
One day I was walking in the lobby monitoring the activity when out of the corner of my eye I caught one of my more conscientious young staff members standing outside the box office window talking to another young man. Their conversation looked quite animated and I thought the youth was trying to talk my employee into giving him free movie tickets, so I approached.
As I got closer I realized the conversation had nothing to do with movies at all. Instead the young man had come to tell my staff all about a fight he had with his ex girlfriend. Normally I would have told the young man to talk to his friend on their time and not while he was on the clock but this conversation intrigued me. Standing there listening to all the details and when he finished telling his story I was introduced. “Ella, this is my baby brother Zachary.” Right away I was caught off guard because truth be told I did not know that they were brothers. Honestly, I would have guessed that my staff was younger than his said, baby brother.
Upon our introduction Zachary and I shook hands. What came out of my mouth next even shocked me as I said, “aren’t you adorable! You should meet my daughter.”
The boys chuckled at my response to our introduction and we talked for a minute or two more before young Zachary left and we got back to work.
The premonition…
As I walked back to my office I could not help but laugh at my response to meeting this young man. After all, what about his conversation about a dramatic experience with his ex-girlfriend made me suggest that he should meet my daughter. Yes,I laughed I could not shake an odd feeling I had. One that was so strange and so strong that I did not know how to process it.
I don’t remember if I called my children’s youth pastor or If he called me but minutes after my encounter with Zachary I was on the phone telling their youth pastor, Brad that I felt like I had just met my daughters future husband.
Only 16…
I guess this would be a good time to explain that both Zachary and my daughter Priscilla were just sixteen years old. Hardly old enough for me to be thinking of marriage and the fact was, I wasn’t thinking about it. It was a feeling, a knowing. Something that overcame me. Something so strong that I felt compelled to share it with Brad when we spoke.
Later that week Zachary applied for a job at the theater. He was a charmer with an outgoing personality which is always good when working the concession stand selling popcorn, so he was hired.
Their first meeting…
A few days later I arranged for him and my daughter to meet at the movie theater and go on a blind date. Actually, it was more like I had to beg my daughter to meet him. She had no interest in having her mother pick her dates but she finally agreed and a time was picked. Ironically their date was set on the night of my birthday, which quite honestly might have been why she said yes to going.
Zachary arrived early and stood outside the theater waiting on Priscilla. When she finally arrived I made my introductions and left them alone to go back to my office at the theater. I looked back to see them Zachary behind Priscilla’s back gave me a huge smile. It was enough to let me know he approved of his date for the evening.
Oh No…
Suddenly an hour into their movie a loud almost violent knocking on my office door was heard. Rushing to open the door when all of a sudden my daughter pushed her way into my office. She then proceed to tell me all the reasons she was not interested in this boy.
What a geek, she exclaimed. He wore a leather blazer with a skinny tie, she exclaimed. He would not shut up, she exclaimed. She all but told me I was crazy for fixing her up with this kid and to never do that to her again! My daughter was madder than a hatter at me and she wanted me to get her out of the rest of the date. I explained that she had to go back and finish the movie before he knew that something was up. I practically had to threaten her with being grounded for the rest of her life before she rejoined him.
Priscilla has always been a good and obedient child and today was no different, but the look she gave me as she closed my office door was most hateful look I have ever seen.
I reminded myself how dramatic the teenage years could be and tried to get back to work. I could not shake the thought of how my feelings could have been so wrong.
Was I wrong?
What did I experience the day I met Zachary? What was that feeling and where was it coming from? Feelings so strong I even shared it with my kids youth pastor, Brad.
A couple of years would pass and a lot of things happened. The next time I would see Brad would be when he officiated at Priscilla’s an Zachary’s wedding. Apparently, Zachary, was not as big a nerd as Priscilla thought he was!
During the ceremony Brad referenced my phone call with him, how could he not. After all, It is not that often a preacher gets that much notice on a wedding. Let alone for people that haven’t even met.
Listen to your heart…
I would like to take credit for setting these two up as this June they will celebrate 14 happy years of marriage, but I can not. Truthfully, the only credit I should receive is that I listened to my heart. While I am not accustom to having these kinds of premonitions, I still had faith in the feeling.
The rest of the credit has to go to Zachary and his charming personality. It worked well selling popcorn and it eventually worked well on Priscilla. Until the next time, Popcorn anyone. Life is mysterious.
