Like Wind in Our Souls
by Thomas Riddell
When I pulled my first computer out of the box in February of 1998, I had no idea how that machine, consisting of plastic, glass, wires and electronics, would change my life. It literally opened up a whole new world for me - who knew at the time that it would bring me “chicks”?
I’ve always been cautious of finding a date over the internet. I had heard all of the horror stories of entering a chat room. You just never knew who you were really chatting with. But I figured - this is all new. Why not check it out and give it a chance? I started entering a few yahoo chat rooms looking for my “Mrs. Right” or, in my desperate situation - “Mrs. Okay” would be fine. Some of them would seem very nice - telling me all the right things that I was looking for in a woman and most of them described themselves as attractive but I feared - what if I fell in love, online, with a sex starved, over weight, beer guzzling, truck driver? I would have been devastated. A truck driver’s life just wouldn’t work out for me- we would be apart for too long. And what if the truck driver- turned out to be a man? That would hurt.
Anyway, I had success with a few relationships over the internet in those early days. Nice people, who brought some happiness to my otherwise lonely life. One relationship was going very well but it was a long distance relationship - we lived 125 miles apart. The distance finally strained us and we parted ways, with me vowing not to ever enter into another long distance relationship. Well, I would soon break my vows…in a VERY BIG way.
In the fall of 1998, with my heart aching from my recent break-up, I penned a poem Called “Like Wind in the Soul”:
Ready to end loneliness into Autumn’s flight.Tears roll down the divine lady’s face,
She longs for comfort and a loving embrace.
Her wings feel heavy and about to freeze,
Then a new hope, unseen, comes on late summer’s breeze.
A smile spreads across a night as black as coal,
The breeze is now like wind in the soul.
I posted this poem on a site called lastwords.com and very soon after - a lady from South Africa saw it and responded with a compliment. We soon exchanged e-mails and began chatting on Saturday mornings on the ICQ program.
It all started on 15 January 1999 and after more than 2,000 pages (7″ high) of chats and e-mails, we met. Heloise “Lou” came for a 2 week visit in May of 2000 and after a tearful departure, we wondered if we would ever see each other again. I wasn’t sure if she was seriously interested in me and I thought- once again- I’ve been had by another long distance relationship. The visit was nice and we shared some very nice times during those 2 weeks but I was doubtful that she was interested in me enough to even return for another visit.
A day after she left - I was feeling down thinking about the long, frustrating and painful process of dating again when I received a voice message from Lou. I was in the shower at the time of the call and only heard the beautifully accented words of “I Love You.” coming from my phone. When I heard those words I sprang into the air - yelling “She LOVES ME!!!”. But I now wondered - “how much?”
I met her in an ICQ chat that week-end and I asked her if she “would like to visit again?” She said she would but that she didn’t know if she could take the separation at the airport - again. It was very hard on her. I then said, “You know, we’re not getting any younger - how would you like to be my fiance?” She was excited and immediately said “..Yes!”. So, that started the long process of getting her over to the States - via INS. It took close to 9 months from the time of the “proposal” to the time that she stepped off that plane into a brand new life. She arrived on April 22nd, 2001 and…
We were married on June 30th, 2001, in a park over-looking the beautiful St. Croix River in Eastern Minnesota.
After nearly 6 years we are living happily in our new home and we now have 2 cat “kids” - “Patches” and “Pumpkin”.
Our courtship consisted of a lot of very honest e-mails and chats - out of the norm of the traditional ways of “tying the knot” - but the results are ones of happiness.
About the author: Tom is currently working on his memoir “Pieces of My Path” (Chronicles 3 years of struggling with a severe depression) and is host of WIZZY RADIO - an online radio show which features talk, music, politics and fun. He also has a My Space at: http://www.myspace.com/wizzy56
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April 15th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Oh wow. Tom, that is amazing. That’s the perfect 21st century love story, right there. Bravo and congratulations on the engagement, marriage, book, radio show, and management of depression. Kudos and definite props.