Piss or Get Off the Pot

About a week ago, I ran into a guy I hadn’t seen in over a year. Through the course of our conversation, I asked how he and his lady were doing. I knew that they had been together for several years, and asked him if they had any future plans. He mentioned that he was thinking about going back to school, and she the same. Long story short, he made two statements that I got hung up on. One, he and his lady were making plans to go to grad school in the same city (they are currently in separate cities), and two, that he couldn’t see himself with any other woman. Of course, this prompted me to ask when he was going to “take that plunge” (what a dumbass phrase). His reply – “I can’t see that happening anytime soon”. Now before I go on a rampage, this dude and his lady have been together for a number of years, like more than five, EASY. Now I can’t speak on the intricacies of their relationship, but I’m almost certain she’s ready to hear those four, mystical magical words whenever he fixes his lips to say them.

Now, as a man who waited several years before popping the question, I can understand some of the reservations that come with such a powerful question, or statement if you do it right (I told Rachel she didn’t have a say in the matter - it was either marry me, or a 20 story drop from the hotel window – no pressure). But seriously, when I graduated and moved to Chicago with Rachel at the age of 22, I had no doubt that I loved her, but I needed to see how our relationship looked outside of Howard. Also, I needed to make sure this was the woman I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Now I’m sure she’ll correct me if I’m wrong, but she would have married your boy right out of college (true story, stop hatin’). Me on the other hand, still had some nikkerish tendencies that I had to sort out. No, not what you think….well, maybe a lil bit (look but don’t touch type of thing). But mostly, I wanted to spend some cash, party, drink good, and live it up. I mean, with my first well-paying full-time job, this was the first time I really had money to blow. Outside of the ridiculous things I just mentioned, which weren’t so ridiculous at the time, I wanted to see our “chemistry” under the same roof. Specifically, how we dealt with issues like cooking, cleaning, paying bills, juggling work and personal time, etc. Without a deep dive into each area, it was hard work, and super stressful at times, but we learned a lot about our relationship and ourselves individually. Needless to say, at age 22 and 23, we weren’t quite ready (or at least I wasn’t) to take our relationship to the next level, BUT we made a conscious effort to get it there. And just as a side note, living together prior to marriage was one of the best decisions we made, but that topic’s for another day.

In the midst of all this madness going on in my head, I’m wondering if Rachel was really the one for me. I always told myself, I’m only doing this marriage thing one time, and marrying the wrong woman (or marrying at the wrong time) was one mistake I couldn’t afford to make. My parent’s divorce was hell on earth, and I promised myself that I’d never put myself or anyone else through anything like that.

Now this next part is a lil strange, but I’ll swear by it. What really helped me in making my final decision was something I had heard before, but for the life of me can’t recall where I got it from. Anyway, whenever I noticed an attractive woman, I tried to picture myself waking up next to them in the morning (not naked or anything wild like that). Cancel the makeup, the push-up bra, the tight jeans, the weave, and whatever else women use to boost their appearances, and could I see myself waking up to that person for the rest of my life. It probably won’t work for everybody, but it for damn sure worked for me. I pictured numerous women, and Rachel was the ONLY one that made the cut. I love to watch Rachel sleep, and to me she’s the cutest, sexiest woman alive doing it (even though she slobbers like a new born). On top of that, waking up next to her in the morning literally makes me smile (except when she’s in evil mode because she’s still tired or mad at me– she gets a gut shot on those days).

Bottom line – I couldn’t see myself being with any other woman on God’s green earth. The last thing I wanted was to have Rachel leave me because I couldn’t get my ish together, man up, and make some grown folk decisions. Let’s face it; women are on the clock, not men. If you can’t see yourself being with any other woman, on top of the fact that you both have invested considerable time in the relationship, drop down on your knee and ASK if she’d do your dumbass a huge favor and marry you. Don’t forget, it’s a question, not a statement. Mess it up, and you might just get the big N.O. Wait around too long thinking it’s all good, and she’s on to the next one. Next thing you know, she’s got a new prospect that has his priorities in order, and where you at? Staring at yourself in the mirror trying to figure out how you messed up one of the best things that ever happened to your retarded ass. I was fortunate enough to not jack it up, but like Beyonce said, “don’t you ever for a second get to thinking you’re irreplaceable”.