I met David the night he shot me.
I was sitting in the dorm room of one of my fellow students when in strolled this guy that I had seen around but didn’t know. Without saying a word he walked over to me, pulled a gun from under his shirt, pushed it against my side, and fired. A flash of light, a crack like thunder. The thing I remember most vividly is the pain.
When an assailant is that close, the smart thing to do would be to grab the gun so he couldn’t shoot you again. Not used to combat situations, I did the same thing everyone else in the room did. I yelped and jumped away from him. Before any of us could reach the door, he raised the pistol over his head, yelled, “It’s only blanks” and convulsed in laughter. It took a moment for the thought to register, then the other guys chuckled hesitantly while keeping an eye on his weapon.
I immediately examined my side and, surely enough, there was no hole. No blood. However, there was an intense powder burn that ruined my shirt and felt like a match held to my skin. In words I choose not to repeat here I informed this new guy that that hurt and I saw no humor in it in the least.
Thus began a wonderful friendship.
Seriously.
From that time, David Fletcher and I had many an adventure together. Some legal. Who can forget being slammed against a State Trooper’s car by one officer who searched us while the other kept his gun on us? I’m pretty sure that one wasn’t loaded with blanks. Ah, memories.
When Alice and I went to get our marriage license, I discovered that because I was not yet 21 a parent had to sign for me. I called David. He called his fiance. I met Diane in the parking lot and she signed my mother’s name so that Alice and I could get the document and proceed with our upcoming wedding.
In short, David and I became friends for life. He married Diane. I married Alice. It’s been a while since we’ve seen them because they live in one state and us in another. But that makes little difference. He knows he could still call me and ask for anything and I know the same about him. We haven’t and won’t see everything alike. But we saw through the flaws each of us as humans have and found the good at the core of who we really are.
So what’s my point?
You’ve heard all your life that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. That’s true. But it’s not the whole story. Even bad first impressions can be overcome and abiding relationships develop if both decide not to let the first impression become the only impression.
No matter how bad things start, or how bad they may have gotten, good people can still work things out and have wonderful adventures together.
If you need help to make that happen in your marriage, go to www.LovePathInternational.com and we’ll do all we can to help.