Rick and I met at Trinity Western University on the first day of “O” week in Langley, B.C. We were in dorms that were paired brother-sister so the new students would have instant friends. It worked! First impressions are not everything in our case, as the things that impressed Rick and I were not destined to knit us together for all eternity. He was impressed that I was a California girl and I was impressed that he admitted being from Wildwood. That was the name of the psychiatric hospital not far from our school. Hmmmmm. Come to find out, there is a small town in Alberta also named Wildwood. Rick and I enjoyed several meals together and toward the end of the week Reeko Suave showed up at my dorm looking for me. Be still my pulsating heart.
A piece of tan-bark hit my third floor dorm window in the middle of a lazy afternoon. My roommate and I both ran to see who it was… and there Rick stood, looking like a hobbit from three stories up. I opened the window, all five safety inches that were provided, and said hello. By this time, I was obviously enamored by his black wavy, shoulder length hair, because his first pick-up line should have been a red flag. Rick yelled, “Hey, Babe, got any laundry detergent?” With eyelashes fluttering, I promised to be right down with the white powdery treasure.
Now, please tell me, what type of guy shows up at college without laundry soap? Or quarters to buy his own little expensive boxes??? I should have caught on, but I was waist high in naivete. I don’t recall Rick ever borrowing laundry soap after that first time, but he did continue throwing tan-bark at my window for the entire year. Was it a presumptuous ploy to spend time with me? Was it a saucy scheme to win my heart?
We’ll never know.
My Sister's Jar 