And he's always gone to long

We moved from the little apartment to a 10' x 50' trailer in Tiny town. It was ugly but cheap. Even with both of us working child support was a big chunk of change for us but we were both determined the kids would not go without.

It took two years with the finances stretched to get the divorce final. I had been trying to save a little money and had found us a trailer on 10 acres with a garage near his old home for 20,000.00. Yes, that was a long time ago. We moved in the summer before we married and dubed it "The Swamp". We had two dogs and three cats and his eldest now. Just before the wedding my eldest joined us. We were beginning to be a family.

We married, on a perfect September day. The only flaw in the ceremony being the kitten I had rescued that climbed up the inside of my slip as we said our vows. I gave him a little hip action, he slid down my leg and I gently launched him between the mate and the preacher without missing a phrase or breaking eye contact with the mate. It made everyone laugh but we were so happy already it made no difference to us as we pledged our hearts for ever.

Now all was right in our world. The kids were getting over their hurts and we were legally a couple in front of all our friends and family. We raised the girls and my boy, added and subtracted animals and were happy there where friends were always welcome.

Then I had an accident at work that tore tendons in both hands. Four months later, on St. Patricks Day when every one was out celebrating and the kids were gone for the first time in six weeks, we were toasting each other and planning a night of heavy loving, when the house burnt down and left us standing in our pjs and assorted jackets.

A brother loaned us a 17' camper that was kitchen, bathroom and girl's room. We slept in a camper topper so snug that we had to roll over at the same time or "one fell off". Friends and family rallied and send small funds and furniture and we set up in the garage for a living room. We made too much money working to get help from the state but had nothing back. We got a trailer in September, a week before the anniversary and started over. With our income halved because of my hands and our debt doubled we were hurting.

The girls were getting older quickly. We had my eldest's graduation party and she went on to college in the Big City. The mate's girl moved in with her mother, we got homes for the animals that were left and, after only three years of being where we wanted to be the rest of our lives we rented a place in the Middle City, turned the trailer over to the morgage company and went bankrupt. This was a great shame to both of us. We dealt with it. It sucked.

After a few years in town we went to another rural trailer further north. It was near my sis so that was fun. We had some great times there, it was near a lake and we both liked to fish. Our landlords were stock car racers and that was great.

Then we found the refuge in Tiny Town, back where we started. It was a great deal on a minor fixer upper and my mom helped us get it. Things were good. All the kids helped us get moved in and I brought my flowers with me.

Now we had one cat and one dog and life was good. We were both working. The mate went from a black 750 Honda, thru a 75 Goldwing to a 1200 Yamaha we called Big Red, then back to a Black 1100 Goldwing, in here somewhere he added his white boxer pup that almost died of parvoe but lived to bond with him like a child, then a silver 1200 and then a wineberry 1500, his dream machine. After a year or two on that he had a friend paint it frosted lemon yellow. It glowed! He loved it and I could always find him in a parking lot.

I started having trouble with arthritis about the wineberry bike. After a year of not getting around well, losing my dad then I saw a specialist and he said the hip had to go. So it went. I was just getting my feet under me again when I had a heart attack, probably caused by the Vioxx I was on for the arthritis. The mate treated me like gold through all of it.

Now I wanted to be square with the world. We decided to refinance the house, make some improvements and pay off the land contract Mom had. This was going great and the mate fell for this big black Midnight Special by Yamaha. He took me to visit it one day. It had a dashboard like a car from the early '60's, very retro, very cool. They wanted half a house for it. He drooled, he kissed me, he extoled it's virtues at every turn.

I've skipped tons of living and fun and riding and things to give you the bare bones of our life together. You can see it looks pretty pitiful from where you are setting. Every time it wacked us down we came back up and went on having fun and loving each other. The way we said it was, "We don't have enough time to NOT have fun!"

The house wasn't that bad off. And I would really like a laptop. I knew just which one. So we did it. The bank owns the house but we paid off everything we owed and he had his bike and I had my laptop. He smiled everytime he started it, even if it was just to run it a little in the winter. He looked just right on it. His best friend told him it fit him perfectly. Was made for him.

Then last December he quit his job. He had changed jobs twice while we were together and I carried him as he had me through my times of no work, we just tightened the belts and got by. Then the unemployment ran out. Our area lost five factories last year. He was 52. The younger men were the ones getting hired. I wasn't worried. I liked being his sugar mama!

So when he wanted to ride he rode. When Jewel got bombed in Iraq, he was by her side when she landed. When Mom needed to take her motor home to FL. He trailered the bike and co drove her. He rode back one of the most beautiful roads he had ever seen. We were going to go do it again this summer. He helped his sis, did a rode trip with his brother, spent time with his kids, with my kids, with our friends and kept the house up and me feeling like pure bliss most of the time with our love.

I am so glad I could do that for him. He had pulled and pushed me over most of the hills in the road in our life together and I loved feeling I was giving back a little. We were happy and still in love that boggled our minds to think about. After 20 plus years, I loved him like I did the first time he made my heart pound when he reached over and held my hand.