Women, have sex with your man before you marry him. Men, have sex with your woman before you marry her. It'll save you from a lifetime of making do.
I met Harold about seven years ago. I was working as a cashier in a convenience store. Harold would come in once a week to buy a gallon of milk and a couple of two-liter bottles of Coke. At the time, I didn't know his name was Harold.
Harold would always say something nice to me after I rang up his milk and Coke. "Have a nice day." "You have a nice smile." "I like your blouse. It looks nice on you."
The first few times Harold did this, I wasn't sure how to respond. I thanked him for his compliments. He would smile and walk away from the counter.
After some time, I found myself looking forward to seeing Harold. As a cashier, you get a lot of nasty comments and criticisms. I didn't run the store; I just worked there, so there wasn't much I could do about complaints. If you've ever been a cashier, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about and how it feels.
When Harold walked into the store, my day seemed a little happier. Watching him walk to the back cooler to get the milk and the two-liter bottles of Coke in a display near the cooler, I looked forward to his compliment. I would thank him and compliment him back. "Have a good week." "Good luck." "Your golf shirt looks good on you."
Okay, I'm not very original.
After a while, I got comfortable with Harold. If there were no other customers, I'd ask him about his life. Over time, I found out that his name was Harold and that he lived about half a mile from the store. He would stop in on the way home from his job as a bookkeeper for a local lumber yard. In his spare time, he would play games on his computer. He also enjoyed posting on Twitter.
Me, I didn't have much of a life. The cashier's job was barely enough to keep me in a room I rented from a nice couple, Lee and Debbie, and pay for food. My main hobby was walking to the local library branch about a mile away and checking out romance novels to read in my room. Fortunately for me, the convenience store was four blocks away. I didn't like walking late at night, but I put up with it. A car was out of the question.
One day, after ringing up Harold's milk and Coke, he asked me if I wanted to see a movie with him. I said I'd like that very much. It wasn't until he walked out of the store that I realized I hadn't given him my number.
At the time, I didn't have my own phone. Like I said, I barely made enough for rent and food. Even a burner phone was too expensive.
Lee and Debbie had a landline. They were nice enough to let me use their phone to call my parents who lived in Wisconsin. I called my parents once a week. Even though long-distance calls were free, I didn't want to use their phone too much.
When I had the chance, I asked them if I could give their number to Harold. Debbie was excited and wanted all the details. After telling her everything that had happened so far, she said, of course, give him our number.
I sat in my room and wrote a nice note telling Harold how I felt and how sorry I was for not giving him my address and number after he asked. I don't usually do this, but I dotted all my I's with little hearts. Yes, I got the idea from one of the romance novels. Sue me.
The next time I saw Harold in the store, I was ready. When I bagged his milk and coke, I put the note in his bag. I hoped I wasn't being too forward with Harold, but by this time, I really liked him.
Three days later, he called. We talked on the phone for about an hour and made a date to see a movie the next Wednesday evening. I worked most weekends, so a weekday night was good for me.
Harold picked me up at eight. I wore my best dress and my one good bra and panties set. I didn't own any pumps, so I wore my best flats. Harold looked nice in his button-down patterned shirt and dress slacks.
Harold had let me pick out the movie, so we were going to see "Leap Year".
We got to the theater in plenty of time to get some popcorn and drinks before the movie started. I got a Diet Coke. Harold got a Coke. Big surprise, right. I hadn't been to a theater in years, so the concession stand prices were a shock.
The theater was nearly empty, so we found some good seats towards the back. I didn't eat much popcorn, which worked out because Harold finished the bucket. Sure, he was a little overweight, but I wasn't exactly a prize catch either. Yes, I had D cup boobs, but I had a bit of a stomach to go along with them.
About halfway through the movie, the scenes of Ireland made me feel tingly, and I wanted to hold Harold's hand. I reached over, took his hand in mine, and held it for the rest of the movie.
After the movie was over, we sat in Harold's car for about an hour, talking about the movie. Afterwards, he drove me home. I decided to kiss him before I got out of the car. I had a great time with Harold, and I wanted him to know it. At the time, I didn't think anything of it.
We dated for about ten months. I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear all the details. Harold would take me to see movies or out to eat. His favorite place was the Western Sizzler. My favorite place was the Olive Garden.
Sometimes, we would go for evening walks in Castlewood Park, near where I lived. Yes, we both probably should have eaten out less and walked more.
Afterwards, we would go to Harold's house. He had a nice three-bedroom house on Eastwood Lane. His living room and bedroom were furnished, but the rest of the house was empty. The kitchen was spacious, with a breakfast nook, but all Harold had when I first saw it were a couple of pots, a frying pan, and a microwave.
Harold was nice enough to buy a set of cookware and a couple of baking pans for me. Sometimes, we would grocery shop, stay in, and I would make him a nice dinner. I baked brownies for him to enjoy when I wasn't around. He raved about my fudge brownies.
I saw Harold's bedroom once, when he showed me around his house the first time. At the time, I didn't think too much about it. I was happy spending time with him, and I appreciated that he wasn't wanting sex all the time.
It was on one of our evening walks through Castlewood Park that Harold proposed to me. Yes, I was surprised. Yes, I screamed yes at him. Yes, I made a scene, I hugged and kissed him for a long, long time.