Life Chaperone

Chaperone: A person who accompanies and looks after another person 

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I met Nathan when I was fourteen and a freshman in high school.

 

He was a senior.

 

The older boy. Gasp.

 

I had always thought he was super cute. He even offered me a ride to a friend's birthday party after a chorus concert one night, but my parents declined on my behalf because I wasn't allowed to ride in a car driven by another teenager. I was surprised he even knew who I was, but that was enough for me.

 

He graduated high school and went into the military. I dated other boys throughout high school. I did become friends with his two brothers, and I even got to know his parents because they chaperoned many chorus trips.

 

My senior year approached, and our choir was asked to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. I worked all summer to save up for the trip in April of 1999. I had heard that he was going to be on leave from the military at the same time, flying through New York on his way home to Florida. His brothers would be on the chorus trip, and his parents would be chaperones. As a family, they decided that he would stop in New York with all of us, be a "chaperone," and then fly home to Florida for the rest of his leave time.

 

I heard he'd be on the trip with us. I hadn't seen him in years, but I was so excited to see him again. I don't know why; it's not like we had had any sort of connection before. Something inside was stirring.

 

While God knew what was going to happen, I thought I was taking matters into my own hands. I was supposed to be in my best friend's mom's chaperone group. Well, at the last minute, I changed groups to be in Nathan's dad's group because I knew they'd hang out together the whole day. I very quickly made myself known, re-introduced myself, and clung on like white on rice.

 

And this time, he noticed me.

 

By lunchtime of the first day, we took our first picture together at South Street Seaport.

 

By that afternoon, he grabbed my hand to cross 5th Avenue. (He hasn't let go since.)

 

I called my mom that evening from the hotel lobby's payphone. The conversation went something like this:

 

Me: "Hi Mom."

Mom: "Hi! How's New York City???"
Me: "Great. Do you remember Nathan, from chorus?"

Mom: "Yeah, why?"

Me: "Because I'm going to marry him someday."

Mom: "Didn't I just leave you at the airport?"

 

People started to notice that we were hanging out. And they started to ask questions.

 

Two evenings later, on April 23, 1999, we had - what we consider - our first "date." We saw the same Broadway show (Miss Saigon), had pizza together at Sbarro's underneath the World Trade Center, and when he dropped me off at the elevator doors in the hotel, he kissed me.

 

And we've been together ever since.

 

We dated for three years long distance. And I don't mean long distance like some do - we were in different countries - no, make that different continents. I was in Orlando; he was in Italy. Then he was in Pensacola, Florida. Then he was stationed on the JFK Aircraft Carrier that deployed to the Middle East.

 

In August 2002, we were married.

 

I don't know how I knew that he was "the one." It was just the feeling that it was supposed to be. That I had found "home."

 

He was supposed to be my "chaperone" that trip. Google defines a chaperone as someone who looks out for someone else. Well, 13 years later, he's still my "chaperone," always looking out for me, taking care of me, and protecting me.

 

A trip of a lifetime...