7. Kindness Lasts (another Valentine's Day story)

I was working as a file clerk in a small insurance company in Indio.   The work was fairly easy, once you learned their system, but boring.  However, boring was just what I wanted at that point in my life.  I had just gotten out of a very exciting marriage to Joe, a good looking man who had been a great date but a bad husband.  Exciting is not always good.  A roller coaster is exciting but you don’t want to be riding on one all day, every day.  My external bruises had healed, but my internal bruises would take longer.  I was back living with my Mom and Dad, where I felt safe and comfortable.  My mother had just hugged me and said, “At least you weren’t married in the church.”
           After the highs and lows of my previous life, I was beginning to get my equilibrium back.  I enjoyed going out to lunch with the other women workers, talking about their dates, their clothes, and their problems with their mothers.  Most of the office staff were young--a company policy to keep our salaries barely above minimum wage.   I was just 23 and the only one who had been married.  After the divorce I cut my brown hair really short, stopped adding highlights, and dressed as boring as I could.  I was not interested in being sexy ever again. 
            Diane was a special friend that I got to know really well since we shared the same desk.  Yes, we shared the same desk.  The company was so small no one at our level actually had their own desk.   Fortunately, we got along really well.  Some of the desk partners had problems when one was excessively neat or excessively sloppy.  But Diane and I were like sisters.  She knew about my unhappy marriage, but still would kid me about getting back on the saddle again. I laughed and shook my head, “I’m not interested in men, not now and maybe never.” 
            She would flip her long dark hair and argue back, “Oh, Rita, you wait and see.  Someday some man is going to knock you right off your feet and into his bed.  You just haven’t met him yet.”
            “No man is ever going to do that to me again.  I’ve been vaccinated by Joe.  I’m immune to love and good looking men.”
            Diane’s boyfriend, Max, was in the Marines and had been deployed overseas.  She had a large calendar on our desk where she crossed off the days until he would be home again.  Although she missed him a lot, she kept busy trying to help others be happy.  She also lived at home with her parents and younger brothers and sisters.  She invited me to as many of her family events as I would attend.  I think she just wanted me to get out of the house.
            Most of her after work socializing was with office staff or her cousin, Georgio.  He was from Ecuador but had a student visa to go to Coachella Valley Community College.  He was older, about 30, having worked to save money to come to the states.  He continued to save money by living with Diane’s parents and in return, doing odd jobs for them.  His two year course in air conditioning and heating technology was almost over. 
            I went out with the two of them a few times for beer and pizza.  Although Diane tried to get me interested in other men she knew, she treated Georgio affectionately as an annoying older brother.  She didn’t think he was very good looking.  And he wasn’t.  He was short and stocky and had a swarthy complexion.  His thick black hair wouldn’t stay down and looked like it had never seen a comb.  But he had a sweet smile and shining black eyes like olives.  He was OK, but as I said, I was not looking for romance.
            Although I wasn’t interested in the guy, I couldn’t help but notice how kind he was.  If Diane had forgotten something back in the office, he would always go back and get it for her.  Once a homeless person was yelling and cursing.  Diane and I were cringing and trying to ignore the man.  Georgio walked right up to him, looked him in the eyes and said, “It’s hard man, ain’t it?  I know it’s hard, very hard.”  He reached out to give the man a handshake.  The man was stunned, but then shook his head quietly and walked away.   I thought to myself if all men acted like Georgio, women wouldn’t have any problems.
            A few weeks later, Diane came to work with red, tear stained eyes.  I asked, “What’s the matter, chica?  Can I help you?”
            “Oh, it’s just terrible.  Georgio’s student visa has run out and he has to leave the country or he’ll be arrested as an illegal immigrant.  The visa was only until his two year program was done.  And they won’t extend it any further because of the quotas.  He doesn’t want to go back to Ecuador and we don’t want him to leave.”
            That morning I kept thinking about their problem and how this super nice, super kind guy had to leave.  Finally, on our break I looked at Diane and surprised myself by saying, “You know, I wouldn’t mind marrying him, but just so he can stay in the country.  He’s a nice guy and I think he deserves a break.  But I don’t want any hanky-panky stuff.”
            Well, it may not have been the most romantic wedding in history and there certainly wasn’t any honeymoon.  However, we did have to share an apartment because of the INS.  Georgio had gotten a job at a small HVAC firm, so we could afford to split the costs.  Every day, he was nicer than the day before.  Of course, I knew he was grateful for what I had done for him, but you can tell when actions come from the heart. 
            After 3 months of living like roommates, he hesitantly asked me to go out on a real date, “Miss Rita, I would like to thank you for what you’ve done for me.  If you don’t mind I could take you out to dinner to a nice restaurant I know”. 
            I was worried this might mean a change in our relationship, so I explained, “’I’d like to go with you as long you know, we are going just as friends.”  He said, “Of course, of course.  It’s just a thank you.”
           He was a perfect gentleman and treated me like the most special person in the world.  That dinner led to more outings.  We continued to just date and get to know each other better for several months. I was still worried about opening my heart again.
            Even though living in the same small apartment, I continued to sleep in the bedroom and he on the hide a bed in the living room.  And then one night six months later we were eating tacos.  Sauce was dripping all over my mouth and hands.  He looked at me and said, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.” 
            I stopped eating, wiped my hands on a paper napkin and really looked at him.  I no longer saw the awkward young student who wasn’t very handsome.  I felt I could look into his soul and see the beauty that came from his true nature.  After a long conversation, we decided to make our relationship become a  real marriage.  This time it was a church wedding.
            We’ve been married 27 years and have quite a story to tell our grandchildren.  Looks may attract, but kindness lasts.
                                                               The End