Love in the Office - Current Love by Kai Strand

As February’s Share The Love theme progresses, we move away from the Industry Love stories and into a subject more closely related to Valentine’s Day, which we celebrate on Tuesday. This week my guests and I will share stories about our CURRENT LOVE.

One day I was walking up a hallway at work and glanced into an office that was normally empty. I made eye contact with an occupant sitting behind the bare desk. He wore a gray suit and a disinterested expression. It was obvious he was filling out paperwork for the open systems engineer position we were interviewing for. I continued past the office as if he hadn’t just made my heart skip a beat. As soon as I’d cleared the doorway I broke into a run. I ran straight to the reception desk and asked the girl, “Who is that?” She giggled. “I know, cute, huh?” she replied. She pulled out his resume and cover letter. “His name is Glen.” We poured through the documents and learned all we could. I know SO illegal, let’s not think about that part.

It was awhile before he got the job and by then I was dating someone else. A bunch of us at work were the same age and would often go out together in a group. We’d go out for happy hour, but more and more, Glen and I would end up the last two there. We’d switch to coffee and talk until 1:00 am sometimes.

We got a new boss and he thought my support position would be better positioned in the back of the building with engineering instead of up front with the sales people. I was so insulted. I went from having my own office to sharing an office with Glen. It felt like a demotion and poor Glen had to hear my mumbles and mutterings as I set up my new desk. As a systems engineer, Glen traveled a lot. Soon I realized that I missed him when he was gone. He was a fun office mate. Always making me laugh. Spending so much time together at work and after work, we’d become really good friends and shared everything. He’d tell me about all the girls he dated, I’d ask advice about my boyfriend.

Then one day I realized he’d just admitted to having broken it off with the last of his many admirers. I wondered why. Yep, I was the only one who did not have a clue as to what was happening.

Glen and I were friends for a year. I’d recently broken it off with my boyfriend. I was approaching my 25th birthday and lamenting my single status; my sisters had both married by 25 and I wasn’t even dating anyone. One night I tossed and turned, completely distraught over my singleness. Wondered what I was doing wrong. What was I…missing?  Oh. My. God! About 2:00 a.m. I realized the solution was staring me in the face. There was a perfectly good guy in my life already. What was I going to do about it? I tossed and turned the rest of the night figuring that out. The next day I went to work with the thought in my head that I wanted to date Glen, but I kept the knowledge to myself for a couple days wondering what it would be like standing next to him as his girlfriend.

A couple nights later we went to happy hour, like usual. Stayed for coffee, like usual, and I finally scrounged up the nerve to say something as we were saying goodbye. “Um, I was wondering,” I said, leaning against my car. “If there might be something more here than friendship?”

Glen let out a breath I think he’d been holding for a year. “Yes!”

This year we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. The best part? The friendship that started the relationship is the core that we’ve built on the entire time. I still think he’s cute. He still makes me laugh and we can still talk until all hours of the night. I’d say I’m lucky, but really I’m smart. I know a good thing when I see one. Well, eventually I figure it out.

Be sure to visit all week as my guests share their own CURRENT LOVE stories. I guarantee a fun, inspiring and heartwarming week ahead. If you missed any of the Industry Love stories, you can find them here.

Comments

  1. LOVED IT!! I remember seeing Glen for the first time-remember how I embarrassed you both by saying you would have beautiful babies together?? HAHAHA...I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I also found love at my workplace!! We will be celebrating 23 years of marriage this June!!

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    1. I remember that, too! I wanted to throw my drink in your face. But you were SO right!

      23 years! Amazing.

      Delete
  2. Cute? Glen? Kidding! Great story and here's to another twenty years of laughter! :)

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    1. It would be weird if you thought he was cute. ;)

      I just signed the new 20 year contract.

      Delete
  3. Dan and I mean't at work, he was a Manufacturing Engineer, and he sat behind me, although we were in different depot's. He would fling rubber bands at the back of my head. We would have lunch together. Then I started to notice that he was getting a little serious. I was living by myself and loving it.. But when I noticed that he had started to change with me, I tried to get him to go out with my girlfriends. Well about a year later in 1980 we got married, had two kids. I did Divorce him after 20 years. I moved to Florida, ( call those days, my Gyspy days. I came back for a family reunion, and did not have a place to stay, so I called Dan, and he said come stay with me, after we went out to dinner, he told me that he was still in love with me, I felt the same way. I moved back to CA a month later, and that was 7 years ago. We are together, but not remarried, but maybe someday..

    Karen

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    1. Karen, that's amazing. I've heard of couples getting back together, just never known anyone before. Thanks for sharing.

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    2. Paula,

      Not a Problem, the kids always said that we were mean't to be together. And when we are around people, we always tease each other, and people that do not know us, ask? Are you guys married? And we laugh and say yeah kinda..LOL I love your Website I enjoy reading what other people are writing..

      Good Job Paula,

      Love your Cousin Karen

      Delete
  4. When I was attending Cal Poly, Pomona, I lived in the dorms for two years. Our dorms were set up with 6 wings and each wing was all one gender. The wing I lived on used to have a Valentine's Day tradition with the wing Ted lived on where we would each have a secret pal from the other wing and give them little gifts with a "reveal" on Valentine's Day. I have no recollection of who I gave to but Ted was assigned to me.

    All during the week I received little gifts from trinkets to a banner posted in the dorm cafeteria with a poem written especially for me. (Although very sweet, I was terribly embarrassed which led to my first words to Ted but more on that later) Each note tended to be somewhat mushy in nature, professing love and admiration for me. Since I had no idea who was behind these communications, I started to get somewhat nervous. Would this guy be a weirdo? Did I now have a stalker?

    The day came to reveal and we all gathered at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. As I sat at my table talking to my friends, someone came up and kissed me on the cheek and handed me a bottle of wine. (Yes, I was 21!) I turned to see a handsome young man standing there. Thinking I should say something to this good looking guy I then said "I'm going to KILL you!" (Remember the banner?) Thankfully he just laughed and didn't feel the need to call security.

    One of the gifts Ted had given me was a ticket for a first date with my secret pal upon revealing. Just in case I wanted to back out gracefully he put an expiration date on it. I decided that since he obviously had it bad for me, given the nature of the notes, and he was pretty cute, and I wasn't dating anyone, I should take him up on his offer. Two days later I got up my nerve and approached him to ask for the date. What I did not know was he really had no feelings one way or the other for me. He just thought that writing terribly mushy and romantic notes was what you were supposed to do! I'm sure it was divine intervention because I never would have had the nerve to ask him for the date if I didn't think he had any interest!

    So the date happened and four years later we were married. This Valentine's Day will be the 32nd anniversary of that fateful meeting and my first words professing "undying love"!

    Nancy B

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    1. That is a great story! I especially love that he didn't necessarily feel anything, he just thought it was required. That's so funny! Well, it obviously worked in the end. 32! Wow!!

      Thanks for sharing, Nancy.

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  5. Aw, I absolutely love your story! My husband and I started out as just friends too. Perhaps it's the best way? I like to think so anyway. ;-)

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  6. I think being friends is so important for a lasting relationship. And in order to have fun together.

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