Saving the Last Dance for Tam

I met my wife at my sister’s wedding in September 1995.  I had known Tam as my little sister’s best friend for 10 years but I did not really see her as the woman she had become until this day in late September.

I actually got to know her better because I was on wolf duty this day although it was of the two-legged variety.  Tam has always been beautiful and several of my brother-in-law’s and sister’s friends wanted to date her but she was not interested at the time.  My job was to escort Tam to and from the wedding functions and look forbidding.

After a few of the guys asked me if she was with me that day and I said, “Yes”  they backed off.  Since I was driving my sister and brother-in-law back to the apartment complex we lived in at the time, I rode with Tam to the events that day.

It was during these rides with Tam that I realized that she had grown into a beautiful woman and mother.  We had a very similar worldview plus her intelligence really attracted me to her.  However, I did not have much hope that Tam would be attracted by my rugged good looks (really rugged).

For some reason though, Tam seemed to be willing to date me as well.  19 years, two sons and three awesome kids in all, I think that we have done pretty well.  It wasn’t my job to tell her she could do better.

 For the last dance at my sister’s wedding, the DJ played the great Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”.  Tam and I danced to this song to end our evening.

A few weeks later, Tam and I were on one of our first dates.  She did not know it but I had purchased a cassette version of “What a Wonderful World”.  We drove to my future brother-in-law’s house for a gathering.

I asked Tam to wait a minute, rolled down all the windows and started the song as I asked her to dance.  We danced on the sidewalk until the song faded away.  I told her that night almost 19 years ago that I would always save the last dance for her.  Today, it is still the same.

Happy birthday, Honey.  I love you.

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