Our Story #6: A First Good-Bye

{part 6 in a 7-part series about my journey of love, with Al by my side.}

This part of the story actually continues with the previous one. Once we got back to Minnesota after our long road-trip we had many adventures planned. After all, this was Al's last time in Minnesota before deployment and he/we wanted to spend as much time as possible with family and friends. And of course, with each other.

There isn't really any crazy story about this trip.

We didn't go on any adventures.

No one peed outside, got caught in the rain or mud, or mistaken for a hooker.

Instead, we just spent time with family and friends as much as possible. It was divine.

My family had a going-away party for him. The cake was my mom's idea - so sweet!

His parents threw him a going-away party in his hometown.

This is a picture of Al and myself with his best friend from high school. He's in the Guard and currently deployed also. Him and his wife got married just before he left.

Al likes to ruin perfectly good pictures when he's drunk. Although, I happen to love this picture anyway because it's a pretty good description of us in a nutshell: I'm trying to take a nice, serious picture and he's goofing off.

After many days of festivities, it was time for him to go. I checked in with my professors and took the day off from classes. We just decided to sleep-in, stay in bed an enjoy each other until early evening when I brought him to the airport.

It was a nice way to end our visit and see him off.

~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~o~~~

Al and I had been together about 1 year when I drove him to the airport that Monday.

We said our good-byes in Minneapolis although he wouldn't be leaving El Paso for about a week or so. We discussed me coming down and saying good-bye with everyone else. We didn't think it made sense to go through the "separation" feelings twice. In fact, he said he wanted to have our memories of this trip and our time together be enough and me coming to El Paso would feel artificial. I agreed. (Plus it was time and money we didn't feel the need to part with.)

So Minneapolis was our good-bye spot.

But about two weeks later, he called me to say he was getting on the plane and that he loved me. I was working on homework for class and trying to stay focused.

Two hours later he called again. They'd stopped for a layover...in Minneapolis. He'd let me know if he'd be able to see me and whether I should come down to the airport.

I didn't wait for him to let me know.

Since I lived about 15 minutes from the airport, I took the chance.

I got in my car and drove down there.

You should understand something about me.

I'm not a romantic. I'm a realist.

Life isn't like the movies; you can't just drive to the airport and run slow-motion into each other's embrace; the world doesn't stop spinning while you stare into each other's eyes.

But for this moment in time, I wanted with every fiber of my being to have just that experience. I wanted time to stand-still long enough to see him one last time.

As I pulled off the high-way into the airport, my cell phone rang. They weren't going to let the guys off the plane. They were instructed to stay seated while the airline re-fueled because they would be back in the air shortly. He told me not to bother coming down there.

My heart sank.

I told him I was sitting in the parking lot at the airport. I hadn't waited because I wanted to see him so badly. I was embarrassed.

{silence}

"I'm sorry. I love you."

{silence}

"I love you too. Be safe. Bye."

He was 50 ft. away and I couldn't see him, touch him, kiss him. Luck would have him make a stop in MY city and I couldn't even get him off the plane long enough to be near him. I turned around in the passenger pick-up and left the airport.

As soon as I could, I pulled over and cried. Really cried.

I felt like an idiot for going against my nature and hopelessly following my heart. It only led to disappointment. It only led to heartache.

Once I could see through my tears enough to do so, I drove home.

I was a mess for a couple of days. Of course (as you all know) it took a while before I would hear from Al and know he'd made it there safely. So I had plenty of time to reminisce over the whole thing. Once I processed what happened, I was able to realize that I did exactly what I should have at the time and I can't control everything (especially the Army.)

Al and I talked about it later and I asked him if he thought I was silly for speeding down there like a romantic idiot when they stopped in Minneapolis.

"Hell no, I would have done it too." He responded.

At the airport, November 2009

It's really too bad the Army isn't as romantic as Al is.

{coming up in the 7th and final part - R&R}