Part 1 of "When Brad met Sarah"

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the late 90's there was a local yocal type of bar that was not far from where I had gone to college. It had been our hangout of choice then and was still the place that my roommate and I went to most often. It was a dive. The floors were made out of planks of unfinished wood and the smell of smoke was so strong that when you showered after being there, the bathroom would smell like someone had just smoked a cigarette. It was the kind of place where you drank beer out of a bottle or ordered it by the pitcher. Bottled water was not available, just tap. The bar tender, "Juice" did not know how to make an apple martini. The juke box played Pink Floyd and not much else. It was not exactly the place that you would ever expect to meet a husband, but it's where I met mine.

I remember the night that I first saw Brad like it was yesterday. He was sitting across the room wearing a plaid shirt and jeans. He had amazing blue eyes. He looked older and I thought he looked like a J Crew model. I didn't think that there was a chance that he would ever be interested in me. He was with another very good looking guy. My roommate Bex and I spent the evening trying to get their attention.

At some point during the evening, I was talking to a guy who I had gone out with a few times. A guy who liked me way more than I liked him. A guy I found a little creepy. Brad came over and said hi. Turned out he had just moved in with the creepy guy. Awkward.

We talked a little bit and I learned that he was a lawyer. I thought this was an amazing coincidence because I was working as a paralegal for a top trial attorney at the time and thinking about applying to law school....something in common! He was working on a case that involved TMJ. Wow! I was also working on a TMJ case and I have TMJ and had had surgery the previous year! He asked if we could get together for lunch sometime and talk more about TMJ. Ahhh....so romantic.

I remember going home that evening feeling so excited. I liked him a lot. He seemed kind and honest and quite frankly, he was the first guy in a long time who didn’t' look at me like he was trying to figure out the best way to quickly get down my pants. Did I mention he reminded me of a J Crew model? I couldn't wait for him to call.

I went to work on Monday and told the secretaries all about him. Then I waited for the call. He didn't call. A week went by and I was crushed. I wasn't used to guys not calling and I really wanted to call him, but it was 1997 and I had just read The Rules and Ten Stupid Things Women do to Mess up Their Lives....enough said?

I saw him out again that weekend and I played it cool. He mentioned lunch again and I think I said something like, "Sure, I have tons of research and sample demand letters I can show you. You know actually, I could even just fax them to you." (No email in 1997)

Then one day at work the phone rang. The secretary answered. She came to my desk and said, "Sarah, Brad ___________ is on the phone for you!" I stood up and squealed. I jumped up and down. I grinned like a lunatic and then I picked up the phone and said,

"Hello, this is Sarah, can I help you?"

"Hi Sarah, this is Brad _________."

"Um, who?"

Yes, I did. I pretended I didn't know who he was.

To be continued....Don't worry, there are at most two more parts to this love story. I could tell it now, but I want to get the dishes done before LOST starts. Plus, I want to dig out some old pictures...let me tell you, we were hot in 1997!