Taking the plunge - one more time

By Delilah McMasters

Mansfield Record

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I’m getting married! I haven’t shared this with my family yet, so this will be the first time all of them are hearing about it! I’m so excited! Never in a million years did I think I would consider a venture like this again.

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It’s strange to think I’ll have someone living in my house daily, lying in my bed every night, even stranger to think I’m not opposed to it. I like long-term relationships: the kids’ dad and I were together 26 years; Rico and I were together for eight. The idea this could be the last love of my life is sweetly satisfying.

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There is so much to plan and look forward to! Looking for a home together - big wrap-around porch, large kitchen and living area for all the kids and future grandkids. I’m still not sure where we are going to settle down, I only know what I have in mind.

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Holidays, vacations, even the weekends seem like less pressure when it’s shared with someone. Gatherings are not as awkward for others when you’re a couple. I had forgotten how the very act of being in the same room with someone, not talking, just sharing the space, can be comforting and enjoyable.

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The first time I got married was a low-key affair, done during a lunch break, he went back to work and I finished out my afternoon classes. That evening we moved my things from my parents’ house to his house and we both held onto life like it was an unstoppable locomotive chugging through all climates and boundaries until its spectacular crash.

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This time around it will still be a low-key affair. I’ve never been a romantic or wedding kind of girl. If I love you, I love you, and I don’t need everyone else witnessing it, BUT, unlike before, hopefully all the kids will be there to share the day. Instead of a locomotive, it’ll be more like a Sunday drive in the spring in a ‘55 Chevy convertible, light breeze, good music, nice sunglasses, park it in the garage. And maybe, just maybe, we could have a big reception/party and invite all of you.

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So what made me change my mind and decide getting married wasn’t such a bad way to spend the rest of my life? I had an epiphany back in December, like one of those, EUREKA! Or WTH? I was living in limbo. My kids are getting older, my ex has moved on and remarried, and I’m waiting for graduations and weddings, watching my life pass before my eyes. And let’s face it, my expiration date has almost caught up with my shelf life. So I decided it was time to move forward before it’s too late.

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Only one small problem: There is no groom. And the prospective outlook isn’t looking very promising. To find a groom means I have to leave my house, means I have to have interaction and tolerance for letting one more person enter the sacred realm of my sanctuary. The sanctuary of sleeping in, not cooking if I don’t want to, only sweeping if the mood is right, sleeping in the middle of  my nice cool pink sheets, playing and reading on my phone any time of the day or night, and lastly, embracing the new-found love I have for cotton brief panties!

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And just like that, it all becomes one big APRIL FOOLS!

Delilah McMasters is a local resident and the mother of six. Reach her at BlessYourHeart76063@gmail.com

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