I think I've posted this somewhere before, but here goes:

My Rog is my lucky charm as in third time's a charm! First marriage we were both too young, pregnant, and did what our parents and society said we should and I *thought* that was what I wanted. Who knew!? second time, I am convinced, was because my youngest daughter's little soul was knocking on the door saying "make me and let me come in" which we did, then split. There's more along similar lines as BatGoddess mentioned up thread.

So, I was a single mom, just going back to work. I had never done anything but nurses' aid and store-clerk work, when I went to my first job as an "account executive" (salesperson) at a local radio station on April 1, 1979, yes, April Fool's Day:-)

After being shown around the station and introduced to most of the employees, my day got sleepier and sleepier. I was so nervous the night before, I couldn't sleep, so my sisters gave me two valium! I'd never taken anything more than an aspirin in my life.

As my new boss, a very ineffective woman who would be gone by the end of my fist month, droned on about how to sell radio adverts, I kept nodding off from the tranquillizers. In an attempt to wake up and NOT lose my job the first day, I asked for coffee break. I went down the hall to a small alcove where there was a coffee pot and hot water carafe. As I was mixing up some hot chocolate, the engineer came out of his "cave" and asked me out on a date, just like that! I knew his name was "Roger" and had already thought I might be interested in him OR the other Roger whom I'd also met that day. Well, my Rog was quicker than the other, who it turned out was gay and also his best friend, later to become one of my best friends, too, so I said yes. That following weekend, we went to the North 40 for a fancy steak dinner (I wasn't a vegetarian, yet) and went dancing at the Beacon Club, a notorious county-music club. We went back to my little house, paid off the babysitter and sat up all night, talking about all things under the sun, then watched the sun come up. We both knew then, I think, but we were being careful as my divorce wasn't final and I didn't want to risk any problems with custody of my kids.

I *knew* for real about three months later when I had to convalesce from a nasty medical procedure. We left the kids with my sisters and Rog took me to the hot springs in Thermopolis, WY. While there, he hand fed me scrumptious cantaloupe, took me to a wonderful woman masseuse, and soaked in the wonderful springs with me. That is the first time he told me he loved me and, without saying much out loud, we started life together.

That was in the summer of 1979. We didn't get married until the following March after the big boss called us in and said since he knew we were living together, he guessed we might as well make it legal as they would wave their nepotism clause just for us! So, as soon as we got my income tax return, we scheduled a justice of the peace, got my ring out of layaway, bought some new outfits and were hitched. That same year, he adopted all three of my kids.

We will celebrate our 31st come next March and while he is not at all what I expected my life companion would be, I have come to realise he is exactly what is best for me and love him deeply.

And, I agree with Spaw and the others. There's a lot more to be said for friendship than the romance of movies.:-)