December 28, 2009
Today is Wendy and my “meetiversary,” the anniversary of our first face-to-face meeting. We celebrated as we always do, by having a pizza at the bar where we met…The Orchard in Geistown. It was a hell of a snowy night, but we didn’t let that keep us from enjoying the evening. In fact, the snow harkened back to the weather on the night we met, also wintry. So there we were, sitting in the same booth where we sat 11 years ago, eating pizza, talking and laughing, just like we did on that fateful night. And we both agreed it had been a good thing that we met. Eleven years later, we are married, and we are happy. We have both enriched each other’s lives. We still crack each other up and stand by each other when things are rough. We still love to spend time together, though we never really get enough time to spend. We have both done well by this union, this confluence of interests.
But I don’t know. I tend to think I made out the best. Wendy has been far more than a friend, lover, and doer of housework. As my first reader, first editor, and chief supporter, she has made my fiction writing career possible. The seeds of it were always within me, but I truly needed another half to make them bloom. You might look at me and what I did before Wendy and say I was a decent and accomplished person. But in reality, given the unfulfilled potential I always had, I was at best half a man. Some people function fine that way; they spring forth fully formed and attain magnificent success with no one but themselves to thank. But I was always in need of a teammate to get me down the field.
The proof lies in my bibliography. Pre-Wendy, a smattering of credits and no real success. Since Wendy, I’ve sold numerous stories, essays, and comics…plus a novel set to debut in 2011. I’ve been to New York City to visit editors, agents, and publishers. I’ve spoken at conventions across the country. My writing has appeared around the world.
Without her, I’d be the worst kind of nothing: one who knows in his heart he has tremendous potential but cannot fulfill it without finding the right person. So Happy Meetiversary, Wendy! Eleven years and counting!
