Three thousand miles

I heard from Sam immediately in his travels.  He emailed, text, called, and skyped me near every day.  He was very attentive and seemed sincere in his efforts to be with me.  He apologized for leaving so quickly when I told him it was selfish of him to bring me into his world of travels, to which his response was, "I just had to know before I left... I couldn't let someone else get you while I was gone.  I couldn't miss my chance."  I did not want a long distance relationship, if I were to have a relationship at all.  I was a bit angry with him for bringing me into this world, but my feelings calmed down when he so sweetly put it that way.

He continued to make me feel more special from over three thousand miles away than any guy ever had done in standing three inches from me.  Instead of sending me flowers, the man bought me a brand new pair of fire boots for my volunteer firefighting on the island.

At the time, I lived in a very nice apartment on Wilmington Island.  It was my most favorite place I had ever lived.  It had a small gym and my favorite part was the infinity pool.  The apartment complex was nestled off of a marsh and the smell of the ocean was always lingering in the air.  My apartment rested against a wood line with a wooden walkway along the back patio.  

I continued to work while he was away and he returned in three months to find his mother to be in the hospital with complications from her diabetes.  She had a massive stroke when Sam was fourteen years old and he and his five other siblings banded together to to take care of her and their home while they were in school.  I urged him to go see her and he insisted that I go with him.  I didn't want to impose and repeatedly told him to go without me, but he said he wouldn't.  

His family was not very welcoming.  I was not fond of them either.  His oldest sister, didn't even acknowledge my presence when she finally arrived to the hospital room.  His brother was indifferent.  His other three sisters were loud, obnoxious and filled with self entitlement.  This would prove to be their behavior throughout the years.  They were all very pushy and self absorbed.  They were also all very unattractive inside and out.  I did not like his family anymore than they liked me.  It was like they blamed me for the fact that he insisted that I come with him.  He had said he wouldn't go at all had I not gone.  You would think that they would be thankful that I came, but they weren't.  Instead, they were resentful.  

Months passed, and on my birthday, he had a package sent to me.  It came early so I could take it with me to Philly because I was headed to see my best friend for the week.  I opened it up on my birthday when he called and it was a two carat, three stone princess cut diamond ring with baguettes.  It was stunning.  He asked me to marry him.  I said yes.  

I was glad to get back home and then he was off to go back overseas, this time for 5 months.  I continued working and Sam had a grande plan.  He decided that we should go away for the month he returns to a resort in the Dominican Republic.  I was torn about this.  A month was a long time to be away from work and I loved my job.  I talked it over with the big boss and made arrangements to go.  I met him on the last flight out and we made our way to a small piece of paradise.  

All was going pretty well with us at this point and I was feeling pretty good about our relationship.  Then one day we were having lunch and he basically told me to get on the train or get off the tracks.  I had considered myself to already be on the train, so since he didn't seem to see that, I decided to get off the tracks.  We ended up having a huge fight that evening and I ran out of the room crying in nothing but a shirt and underwear.  He kept trying to drink and I had taken the bottle and tossed it across the room.  Oh yeah... and he told me that he swallowed my engagement ring when I took it off.  The next day, he tossed me on a flight going home.  I was devastated.  He said that I could have ruined his career with a domestic issue.  I made my way home and with 10k of his to take back.  He wouldn't tell me what he did to get 10k in crisp, new one hundred dollar bills.  I'm not sure why I was dumb enough to bring it back for him.  I didn't know at the time, the trouble I could get in for taking that money through the airport without claiming it.  Luckily I wasn't caught with it.  I guess my loyalty in bringing the money back for him was good enough, because the next day he asked for me to come back out and flew me back to him.  I now know that he was just wanting me to bring the money back for him and test my loyalties to him. At this point, I must have proven myself to be valuable enough for him to want to keep around.

I came back and he apologized and said he missed me terribly.  All was better in the world and we were back on track.... Or at least that is what I thought.