Pigeon Forge

View from our hotel room in Pigeon Forge.


In a minute I'll start the next installment of our story, but first I have to tell you that I am missing Thelma right now. We have scarcely been apart for 5 minutes since we reconnected May 16, but right now she is out on a horseback ride with her best friend. I encouraged her to go, because I'm still a very inexperienced rider. We went on a ride at sunset last night, but I have yet to ride anywhere but on our 13 acres at Girly Ranch. I'm learning, and last night was the best ride yet. I actually got the horse into a full rack and had a very good time going fast! That was a first for me, because normally I'm terrified that I'm going to fall. I'm learning.

This morning Thelma is out with her friend, a very experienced rider, and they are scoping out a new trail, one I hope to be able to ride someday soon. But when I saw her riding away down the long gravel drive, a knot formed in my stomach. I spent 30+ years away from her, and now it hurts to be apart from her at all. I know she feels the same way. We talked about it in the wee hours of the morning, but I said, "You have to go ride. It will be so good for you!" And it will be good for the horses, too, because they are getting mighty fat (and shiny) from eating all this terrific grass in our pasture.

But I know you want to find out what happened next in our saga, right?

We planned to meet a couple of hours north of her house in the mountains, to both shave some time off my drive and to spend the weekend together in absolute privacy. After all, she was still living in the house with her own STBeX, and her mother-in-law was just dying to meet me, clueless as she was about what was coming down the pike. Thelma was already on her way out of her marriage, as was I, when we found each other again. Her MIL and husband thought that life would go on the way it was. I'll let her tell that story, though. Suffice it to say we needed some time together before dealing with that situation.

Our planned destination? Pigeon Forge, TN. Think Dollywood. Think tourist trap. I knew nothing about the place, but I knew she would be there. We talked by cell phone off and on all that day while I was driving. I plugged my iPod into the car stereo and listened to an eclectic mix of tunes, including some she had sent me during the previous 6 weeks. It made me feel connected to her.

Most of the drive flew by. I had expected to be tired and sore. I had expected the drive to be rough on me, because I hadn't driven any distance at all in the 3 years since my mother died and I got sick. Instead, I was feeling energized, free, and alive. I was feeling that rush of emotion that comes with new love, though this love had been in my heart since adolescence. As I got closer to Pigeon Forge, my pulse raced and my face felt flushed. The anticipation and excitement was about to be satisfied. While I drove those last few miles, I brushed my teeth and chewed some gum. Normally I like to freshen up before I see someone after a trip, but this freshening-up had to be on the fly!

She had found what she said was the perfect hotel room, and I was to call her when I got off at the exit. If you've never been to Pigeon Forge, though, just think of some tourist trap you've been to - the Outer Banks, for example - at high season and you will know what I faced. Stop and go traffic, endless red lights, and a seemingly interminable trip to Thelma. She told me to look for the Ruby Tuesday that was near ... something else...can't quite remember now - so I kept an eye out for that while watching out for distracted tourists (hmm, was I one of those, too?).

When I finally saw the landmarks she mentioned, I was in the center lane. I pulled a quick right turn across two lanes and saw the hotel just ahead. Hands trembling on the wheel, I pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine. I took a deep breath and checked my face and hair in the visor mirror. Then I called Thelma and said, "I'm here!"

While I waited for her to come down to the parking lot, I unloaded the car of my things. When I heard her wolf whistle at me, I was standing there with my luggage neatly stacked beside me. Her blonde curls were tossed by the breeze as she strode over to where I was standing. She stopped about five feet from me and we took each other in. She was even more beautiful than she was at 15 years old. She had matured and grown into a gorgeous woman. She was wearing jeans and a romantic lace-up shirt. She had on a fancy Western belt and hot little cowboy boots. Her jewelry, hair, and make-up were perfect, and she was smiling at me as bright as the sun. I hoped that I - in my jeans, black t-shirt, and sneakers; 7 1/2 hours of road weariness on me - was not a disappointment to her. I smiled and say, "Hey you."

She looked at me and said, "Get over here, woman - right now!"

We moved into each other's arms and hugged as tightly as I have ever hugged or been hugged by anyone. Our bodies touched from head to toe, and I buried my face in her sweet-smelling hair. "I've missed you...it's so good to see you finally," I said.

That was the best moment of my life (aside from the birth of my children). When I finally pulled back from her and looked her full in the face, I saw that she was just as enamored of me as I was of her. We had had six weeks of reconnecting and courting over the phone and computer, but standing in front of her, I felt all the intervening years and miles fall away. She grabbed some of my luggage and together we headed inside.

Once the elevator door closed, I leaned toward her and kissed her. I waited my whole life for my lips to touch hers, and I wouldn't wait any longer. When I pulled away, we were both smiling. We didn't just have fireworks between us - we had nuclear fission! My heart had known all along that she was the great love of my life, and now the rest of me knew it, too.

We exited the elevator on the 6th floor and went to room 623.

The room was large with a king-sized bed, a jacuzzi tub in the room, and a balcony that overlooked a stream. It was perfect, and there were long-stemmed red roses waiting for me. We dropped my things just inside and I took her face in my hands. I wanted another of those incredible kisses.

Before the day was up, we knew we would need an extra night. We had planned for one, but we knew it would be at least two days before we could face other people with any kind of discretion or propriety. She called and arranged for the care of her horses and for an extra night in what we began to think of as our room. (We plan to spend our anniversary there next year - and hopefully every year after that).

Fortunately she had stocked the room with fruit, snacks, and water. Though we weren't hungry, we had to stay hydrated :-) Our time together was incredible, indescribable (and not something I wish to divulge!). Let's just say that after Pigeon Forge, our lives would be forever changed. Neither of us wished to go back in "the closet" or continue with life as we previously knew it. We decided then and there that we would be together, whatever it took.

More of our story to come later....L