How We First Met:

Roxanne and I first met on a blistering hot July day in 1978. When I walked into Trudy's, a small card shop in Mountain View, California; I was without a care in the world. I was single and happy to be so; but it only took one glance at the beautiful blond girl in the white shorts and blue top for me to realize my world was about to change. It was love at first sight- at least it was for me.

Thinking fast, I rushed next door to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream store and cut in front of a huge crowd of people. Normally I wouldn't do that, of course, but this was an extreme emergency. What if she left Trudy's before I got back? I might never see her again!.

Feeling like Mr. Big Shot Himself, I tossed the kid behind the counter a twenty dollar bill and told him he could keep the change if he gave me two pre-made ice cream sandwiches without making me wait. I did not look around to see how the other hundred or so people waiting felt about it. In a flash, the kid handed me two chocolate chip mint ice cream sandwiches and just as quickly I raced back to the card shop.

Luckily, the girl of my dreams was still there. I took a deep breath, tried as best I could to slow the beating of my heart, mustered up all the courage I could find, and walked over to her. I introduced myself as calmly as I could and offered her one of the ice cream sandwiches.

She smiled a polite, but rather quizzical smile. She said her name was Roxanne (I had heard the name before, of course; but never before had it sounded so beautiful).  But she refused to take the ice cream sandwich. She said her mother had always told her not to take candy from strangers, and although ice cream wasn't technically candy she felt the same principal applied.

We started talking, and after about two minutes the heat caused the ice cream to begin melting down my arm. When she expressed no real interest in getting to know me I must admit I felt pretty foolish with ice cream running down both of my arms. Not knowing what else to do, I said goodbye with as much dignity as I could manage and made my exit.

It is easy, of course, for me to say this now, but I really knew I was going to marry Roxanne. Every once in awhile I know what is going to happen before it happens, and this was one of those times.

For example, when I was a kid (February, 11th 1962- to be exact) I took my first look at a skinny, relatively unknown young boxer named Cassius Clay dancing upon the screen of my parent's old black and white television screen and instantly became his biggest fan.

Something inside me just knew he was a very special human being, and years later, after many trials and tribulations everyone came to see what I saw so quickly. I am not overstating my case when I assert that Muhammad Ali became one of the most famous, courageous, and beloved men of our time.

Another time I knew what was going , at about the age of 15, I was all in a tizzy because I just knew that my favorite ballplayer, Sandy Koufax, was going to pitch a perfect game that night.  My Dad told me to calm down as it wasn't going to happen. I insisted it would!

That night my Mom, Dad, and I listened as Hall of Fame Dodger radio announcer Vince Scully called the action from Los Angeles. Needless to say, Koufax pitched what was then only the fifth perfect game in major league history. It is one of the fondest memories of my childhood. I never made such a prediction before and I never made one like it again, but that night I just knew it was going to happen and it did!

Well, this is exactly how I felt upon meeting Roxanne. I knew she was very special and I also knew, without doubt, that this was the girl I was going to marry. The next day when I told my life-long best friend, Steve, about meeting the girl I was going to marry, he must have thought I was nuts when I told him I didn't even know her last name, where she worked, or even what town she lived in.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the following May I went shopping to buy my Mom a Mother's Day plate, as I did every year. I bought a perfectly good one and had it wrapped and everything, when I got this strong feeling that I should get her something else to go with it. Following my intuition, I stopped at the next shopping center I passed to see what I could find.

Luckily I followed my hunch, because who did I see coming out of one of the shops but Roxanne. I recognized her immediately, of course, as she was as lovely as before. This time, she also seemed glad to see me! I told her that I was doing some shopping for Mother's Day and I, as casually as I could, invited her to join me. To my surprise, she smiled and said sure.

Together, we picked out a present for my Mom and after I paid for it, I realized to my horror that I had absolutely no money left in my wallet. I couldn't believe it! Here I was with the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I didn't even have enough money on me to buy her a stick of bubble gum. What rotten luck!

Because we were right near a Marie Calendar's pie shop, I asked Roxanne if she liked pie.  Sure, she said. I said I did too, and then as nonchalantly as I could, I asked her if she would like to take advantage of this opportunity to treat me to a piece of pie. I explained that I was completely out of money, but still wanted to spend time with her.

To my delight, she said she also felt like having some pie and would be more than glad to treat me to a piece. We went to the pie shop and I had pumpkin with whipped cream and she had German Chocolate.

We had a simply marvelous time! In all modesty, I must admit I was especially funny and charming that night, and she was simply incredible! I will never forget the musical quality of her laughter- it was so real and genuine.  She laughed with her whole being and her smile lit up the room!  I fell hopelessly in Love.

The flame of that love has never flickered. We have now been married nineteen years and have two beautiful daughters. I know  Roxanne much better now, of course, and I can see that I was right about her from the very beginning. She is everything I could have ever asked for in a wife- fun, exciting, loyal, loving, vibrant, bright, a wonderful mother and simply beautiful inside and out! I am very blessed to have her in my life.

Written, of course, by Barry