How We Met...
- wanderdovejournals
- Jun 1, 2024
- 5 min read
My ex-husband and I have a fateful and romantic love story that you’d think would stand the test of time. I certainly believed it would, and I still have no clue why it ended the way it did. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I will share the ending at some other point.
During one winter season in Park City, Utah, I was working hard waiting tables and saving money for my summer adventures. I decided to go on a mid-season vacation and found some cheap tickets to Honolulu. I convinced a couple of my girlfriends to join me. I think this was in 1997. Always on a budget, we stayed in a hostel in Waikiki. That hostel has since become a crack den and I wouldn’t recommend staying in any hostel in Waikiki now in 2024. But back then, it was safe and affordable.
My ex-husband was an employee at that hostel. We met there and instantly fell for each other. We had an amazing seven-day romance with all the sparks and chemistry you can imagine. At that time, there was no Facebook, Instagram, or even email.
So after our seven-day fling, we left it as just that—a fling. We said our goodbyes and went back to our lives without exchanging numbers or addresses because neither of us thought to. LOL
Fast forward three years to 2000, and I ended up moving to Maui on a whim. While living there, my mom and aunt came to visit. We decided to spend the last two days of their trip on Oahu, playing tourists on a different island.
One night, we had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise. While waiting for our food, I heard a distinct laugh a few tables away. My ex has a very unique laugh, and I told my mom I recognized it but didn’t know why. I started looking around and finally matched the laugh to a face. It was the guy from my Waikiki vacation a few years back. (I won’t use my ex’s name because he doesn’t know I’m writing this.) I asked our waiter if that guy's name was [his name]. She said yes and asked if I knew him. I said I thought I did. According to my ex, the waiter went up to him and told him a girl was asking for him. He got really excited and came over. He looked at me and said, “Utah!” I said yes, that’s me. We chatted and decided to meet for a drink later that night without my mom and aunt. LOL
That night we met up, and the chemistry was just like the first time we met. We hung out all night, and I didn’t get back to my hotel until after 3 a.m. This time, we exchanged numbers. The next day, I said goodbye to my mom and aunt and flew back to Maui. I didn’t know if he would actually call but hoped like a hopeless romantic because this time we were only an island away. He called that night, and the rest is history. We did inter-island dating, and I moved to Oahu six months later. At the time, you could buy plane tickets from an ATM and just show up at the airport and pick a flight like at a bus station. You could even buy a six-pack of flights for less than $100. No joke. But 9/11 changed all that.
At the end of 2000, we moved in together and got married four years later.
We were happily married for 23 years and have an amazing teenage son. We had the kind of marriage people envy. I don’t say that to brag; it’s just true. He was always my best friend and lover. We could confide in each other, we deeply loved each other, and we had the best communication. We were simpatico in every way. I’m not usually a believer in fate and fairy tales, but for some reason, the universe really wanted our worlds to collide. Once we met again, we discovered we had been missing each other in all our travels by a year here or a year there. For example, one summer I lived in Alaska, he lived in the same town and worked for the same company but a year later. We have countless stories of “Hey, I was there the year before.”
Of course, like everyone, we had normal ups and downs through those 23 years, but the love never faded until it did. The sadness I feel from the end of my marriage is profound and deep, and I will truly never understand what happened. I will write that story down another time. It is long and crazy, and I am still processing it. In a nutshell, my ex just up and left me, and about three weeks later, I started discovering photos of him dressing as a woman and going to gay bars. Hopefully, that’s a good enough cliffhanger. LOL
When I reflect on our story and my marriage, despite the sadness I feel from the loss, I have great fondness. We had an amazing marriage. I was so lucky to have had the most wonderful 23 years with this man. The life we lived was blessed with so much joy, happiness, shared wanderlust, and love. It has only been a year since he left, so my sadness is still raw and on the surface at times. Besides wanting to share my life travels on love and loss, I started this blog for myself. To help give myself closure and find some cathartic relief for my mental health because I am grateful for the life we had. Gratitude is what keeps me happy and sane now.
So, that is how we met, which I believe to be pretty incredible. Of all the millions and billions of people on Earth, the universe made sure we collided twice. And those of you who know me and my son know that probably the reason the universe did that was to ensure my amazing son exists in this world!
Here are some more pics from the story:
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If you are thinking about traveling to Hawai'i, the best time to travel is September and October, less tourists and usually cheaper flights.
Here are a few places I suggest you stay out that aren't crack dens now LOL :
Paradise Bay Resort in Kaneohe is beyond beautiful. I stayed there once for a Mother's Day Weekend. Loved every minute of it.
Turtle Bay Resort is expensive but trust me you won't regret it at all. So worth the beauty and serenity.
Napili Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in Maui. Castle Napili Surf Beach Resort gives you amazing views.
Stayed tuned for the time I traveled to Italy for a month and the numerous disgusting encounters I had with men there. Despite the men, I love Italy with all my heart!
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