<3 Our Story <3
Harry Schwan and I met in high school, our 10th grade year. We shared an english class and have a very interesting love story. But then again, doesn't everyone? He sat next to me in Mr. Townsends class, didn't do his work, and made the time pass by entertaining me with jokes and flirting with me. I thought he liked me, and I liked him...turns out, he just thought I was a flirt and had no clue that he was the only boy I flirted with. So, one day, when he mentioned he had a crush on a girl in a different class (didn't give me a name) I was heartbroken. Poor guy had no clue I liked him. *Sigh*
He kind of thought something was going on, because a friend of mine let him have it later, yelling at him in the middle of class and shaking her fists at him, screaming that he was a jerk for leading me on...he seriously had no clue what she was talking about. Like I said, he figured I was a flirt. This picture was taken a couple of weeks after we finally got together...in 11th grade, a year later!
We had no classes together in 11th grade, but we did have lunch together, and some of our friends sat together. Harry started sitting next to me that January (2005). He kept flirting with me, and making me laugh, so I decided it was time to be a little more obvious about things. I'd hit him playfully, or lean close to talk to him, or nudge him when he laughed or made me laugh...one day, someone called him (again, no names) and demanded to know when he was going to ask me out! He, of course, was surprised for some reason, still apparently having no clue that I liked him...
So, imagine my surprise, that same night, I get a phone call from that same no-name person, just chit-chat, and before she hangs up, she says "oh, I think Harry's going to ask you out tomorrow in front of school where everyone usually hangs out." Then she hung up. It was my turn to be dumbfounded. I swear I was blushing the whole ride to school that morning, and I kept my eyes on the ground as much as I could while I avoided the usual hangout...I didn't know what to do. I was embarassed, because I had heard from yet another friend about the phone call to Harry, and I was ready to die of embarrassment at any second. I still didn't think he liked me, see. So, I walked to my French class, which I shared with no-name friend, and I walked into the building, turned the corner, and boom! There was Harry!
He wasn't waiting outside at the hangout, which I would have noticed if I had looked, he was waiting for me in front of my 1st period class! (Smart guy...) My stomach was doing somersaults the whole time we walked toward eachother, him with a huge smile on his face, me probably with really really red cheeks...we stopped to talk for a little while...I kept noticing people ducking out of my french class to stare out us, as if I wasn't nervous enough! Harry noticed, too, and said "I think that they think there's something going on between us." Ha! Of course they thought that! They were conspirators! I swore if he never asked me out, and it was just an embarassing situation for me, I would severely hurt every single one of them!
Harry didn't ask me out that morning. He did hug me, though, which was a first, and said he'd see me at lunch. My stomach was definitely trying out for the olympics or the circus or something after that! I was nervous ALL day! I waited for lunch, while all my friends kept shooting me mischievious glances and hiding giggles...I finally went to lunch, and just as he'd promised, he sat with me. As always, he made me laugh, though this time, I'm sure my laughs weren't anywhere near as casual as usual. He walked me to my physics class, hugged me goodbye, and while he held me he asked me out. I said yes before he let go, and when he pulled back, he kissed my cheek.
We stayed together for 2 weeks, broke up for 1 week, then got back together for about 4 months or so. I was in high school, what can I say? It was all me, by the way, he's never hurt me...we went together off and on until Sr year. We stayed friends while we weren't dating, which made it so much easier for me to want to be back with him. He's just so loveable! Then, after our final break-up in 2005, fall of Sr year, we hardly talked or saw eachother for 3 months...then I invited him over to hang out in December or January (I missed him like crazy!), and he informed me he had joined the Marines. Again, I was dumbfounded. We started a friends-with-benefits/secret relationship thingamajig, until I got a boyfriend from college. I knew Harry was the one while I was with that boyfriend, and I broke up with him as soon as the realization hit. I called Harry up the next day, asked him over, explained what I had done, and that I was in love with him, and wanted to stop with the whole on-again-off-again thing, I wanted to have a serious relationship with him. He took me back, telling me he was in love with me and we'd never break up again, he wouldn't let me go again anyway. So, to keep from making me look like anything but a lady, we hid our relationship for a few weeks, from everyone. It was kind of fun, actually, like we were spies undercover or something. It was really to protect my reputation, as all my relationships in high school had been innocent, I didn't want people thinking I had jumped from guy-to-guy.
We broke the news of our relationship to my grandmother first, but since Harry had been a frequent visitor, she just laughed, having known something, apparently, was going on again. We told our friends, who I don't think thought I was that serious about him. Well, we went to Prom together, and a few weeks later, on my 19th birthday, Harry was hanging out at my house, like normal. He asked if I had been to my room since I had been home from school. I took one look at him before running to my room, locking myself in before he could catch me, and looking on my bed. There was a birthday card, propped up facing me with my name on it, a blue rose behind it (I love blue roses, very rare). I lifted the card, turned it over in my hand, then saw that the rose wasn't what had been propping the card up, but an open ring box, complete with an engagement ring. I was dumbfounded yet again. I just stared at it. My stomach had made the olympics by now, I was sure, and I threw it on, dropped the card, opened the door, and Harry was leaning against the doorframe, smirking. I kissed him, he asked me to marry him, of course I said yes, and we've been happy ever since. I showed up to school the next day, showing my ring to everyone, telling everybody I was going to be Kimberly Schwan one day!
We were married on August 14th, 2006. We eloped. He didn't join the Marines, he decided to stay here and work and be the husband my mental state needed. We've got tons of plans for the future, maybe some little ones in about 6 or 7 years, definitely a ranch with horses....but right now, we're happy just getting by in this economy. I go to sleep next to him at night, and every single night, I'm grateful he never gave up on me. We belong together, we just had a few bumps in the road along the way.
