How We Began: Season 1, Episode 2
From Mike:
I am blessed to be married to Chris; a child of God, and a women of great faith who has held it together through all these many years. She is my best friend. Mackenzie asked me to write this, since I was sort of there.
THE PROPOSAL, sort of....?!
Of course it wasn't your standard, get down on one knee proposal. I never even spoke to Chris prior to the grocery bag incident. I have always said ‘while I was marching off to boot camp, Chris was marching off to sixth grade’. That chance encounter almost didn't happen. My crew and I were to start Chris' parents job a couple of weeks prior, but we were up north in Gaylord, MI, framing a vacation home for a friend. I thought it would be a great adventure to ride a bicycle up to Mackinac at the end of the job, and ride back to Rossford at a leisurely pace. Two weeks later, we started her parents addition.
Fate and adventure; two of the three key components of our future life together.
Faith, being the overriding third.
Once I was sure Chris was the "one", I had to let all my friends know. Back then, every event was a reason for celebration. High tide, full moon...you get the picture. But this "event" trumped all. So I called some friends and told them. The reactions were swift and to the point.
“No way, Fes" (my nickname)...
"BS...”
Followed by, "You're an idiot".
This needed to be talked through, logic had to be inserted into the equation. Jerry’s Bar in Perrysburg was where the "board" met, on what I remember as a beautiful fall Monday afternoon. For some reason, I kept a piece of paper from that day that everyone signed as the discussions wore on. After much meaningful(less ) dialogue, someone inquired as to my future wifes answer.
"Well, what did she say?"
In typical me fashion, "I don't know, I didn't ask her yet"
More than one "you're an idiot" rang through Jerry's once again.
Out the door, and off I went to the corner of Louisiana and East Second.
A fist full of change later,
"Hello, Chi Omega" (Chris was back at her sorority house in Columbus)
"Hi, is Chris Durco there?"
A giggly "I think its Mike!!”
“Hi, this is Chris".
Me: "Hi, its me...how are you?"
"Good" was her reply...pause.
Me: "Me too," long pause "....So, what are you doing the rest of your life?"
From the phone 130 miles away at the Chi Omega Sorority House, 1710 Indianola Avenue, was a noise seamlessly transmitted over the wires without even a pause..."click"
(Pictured below are two photocopies of the signed paper. If you look closely enough, without even having any idea, their wedding date September 17 is written)
To be continued.