Room 007

Believe it or not, the classroom we meet in for Dress and Humanity has a very special place in my heart. Don’t get me wrong, I love this class, but that’s not why it’s so dear to me. Five years ago, I met my now husband in this very classroom. It was a chance encounter, one that easily could have passed me by. His economics class in room 007 was wrapping up just as my physics class in the same room was starting to shuffle in. I sat down behind him, he looked up, and asked me what class was about to begin. He had seen the strange machines, tools, and coils my “mad scientist” professor had been using throughout the semester. We had a fun conversation, but never learned one another’s names and went about our days. The next few days, the same thing happened. Finally, on the last school day of the semester, he beat me to the punch and asked my name. My name was Melody, his was Joe.

He said, “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.” and turned to leave.

He started back and said, “No, no, can I get your number?”

I happily obliged and he left.

We’ve been dating ever since.

He said about me in a conversation with a friend, “Her blue eyes destroyed me.”

Joe was different than other guys I had dated. I had been used poorly by men in the past, but Joe was a real man. He knew that hurt didn’t mean love. He reminded me that love is a verb, a constant effort, not a lust or desire.

I’ll always have a fondness for our classroom and the chance encounter that changed my life.