I had a plan. I had a great plan. I was going to be the happy spinster of Tehachapi.
I bought a little house. I was going to get involved in the community. Me and the kitty were going to have our little garden in the backyard, hang the wash on the line, make bread and preserves, grow herbs, bring baked goods to the neighbors, fire pit nights with friends, fly a little bush plane. Maybe even take over the airport manager job someday and do good for my general aviation friends. It was a good solid, happy plan. A bright future.
But, no sooner was this plan carefully in place, it was dashed completely. Shattered. Splintered harshly like a half full china teacup dropped on a tile floor.
The unexpected happened. Fun unexpectedly entered my life. Love entered my life. Punk rock and rock ‘n’ roll late nights on weekends in LA entered my life. Music and history and cooking together and road trips and cocktail bars and books and dive bars and making pasta and new drinks entered my life. New music friends entered my life. Premier Guitar and Tape Op Magazine entered my life. Passion and sweetness and humor and silliness and weird tv shows entered my life.
Unexpected. Upside down. Few words needed. I get you. You get me. Easy and healthy and let’s talk about this, he says. I meet his folks and they like me. He meets my friends and they like him. I show up for him and he shows up for me. I messed up and that’s ok. He messed up and we get over it. Keep moving forward. Don’t look back. Right now and let’s plan some fun things for tomorrow. This weekend. Later this year. Someday.
I am no longer the only single person at the Christmas party. I am no longer number five at the breakfast table. I have someone to play pool with at the saloon. There is a guitar hanging on my wall and it’s not mine.
We are members of the Tehachapi railroad museum, and we make beer in the kitchen, and we hang out at the airport when someone has an event, and we pick herbs on the side of the road, and we meet friends for breakfast, and we go to dinner, and my friends have to invite me AND him, and we get to know the servers and the merchants, and they know us, and not just me.
Not just me. Not the happy spinster of Tehachapi.
