How I Met Mrs. Right

True Love Knows No Boundaries

This is a fantastic true story; I have to share. I do not want you to think we have the ultimate love story, because we both suffered greatly before we physically met. I had to say, physically, because the real story is how I first met my wife. To tell the whole story, I have to go back in time. The year was 1987, I was 15 years old, living in Saudi Arabia. My father worked for Goodyear Aerospace, which is how I ended up in Saudi Arabia for the first time. There were not very many girls located on the base and those that were there were interested in other guys. Needless to say, I did not have any real relationships blossoming there.

Saudi Arabia was not how you might picture it. First of all, we lived in the mountainous Asir region. It was, truly, a remarkable area, full of culture and history. This area, in Saudi Arabia, was almost always 70 degrees or more, heaven tucked away in an arid country. The compound we stayed on, consisted of 4 family adobe complexes. Four apartments in one building, with a fantastic roof featuring four separated walls. I never really gave it much thought, until later, but this would have been ideal for arab families to hold their prayers. These segmented sections were roomy enough, they could lay out their prayer mat, and easily face the eastern sky. In Saudi Arabia, prayer is as essential as breathing. As americans, these were used for a much different purpose. The women and girls would use it as a tanning bay, while the guys used it for barbecues. Of course, as teenagers we used them as gathering grounds. I, however, liked to spend my time on the roof looking up at the stars. There has been no equivalent since.