The Dancing Dinosaur
Charlie, where to start.
I met Charlie while I was working at a Bikram Yoga studio my Junior year in college.
He was 25 and I was 21 and it was the summer before my Junior year. I was hanging up mats in the front part of the office and making dinosaur (or what we considered dinosaur noises with the other girl that worked there Laura. When Charlie came in and stated "This is what I think a T-Rex sounds like!" and started making weird noises as well. He came in to pay for his and his girlfriend's monthly membership. We laughed for a while. I knew I liked him right away. I got to know him over the time that I worked there and he was an organic farmer, who was currently working for a co op in our city and played in a band but also composed music for local events if asked. A few months later (around November) he and his girlfriend broke up and he stopped coming to yoga. It was a bummer because we rarely get attractive younger men in the place. A couple months later my boss said she saw him at the farmer's market and he asked about me so the next weekend I showed up and ended up buying into the CSA for the farm he worked with. Now every week for 20 weeks he would show up at my apartment with a bushel of produce, we began a friendship. In Dec 2010, my senior year of college, he asked me to go to a New Year's Eve party his friends were having. I said yes, we had mutual friends so I knew some people and Laura was going to be there. He asked me out again the night of the party and shortly we began dating and kind of became a couple. I had dated men before but none like Charlie. He was just as silly and goofy as I was. He loved movies as much as I did and we knew all the lyrics to all the songs we loved. He smelled like dirt and soap and it was great. He cooked and liked beer. I cooked and liked beer. The moment I knew I was madly in love with Charles was one night at his best friend's birthday party. I had decided to break it down on the dance floor, I can't really dance but I like to have a good time. Charlie did not get embarrassed or tell me to stop, instead he joined me and right then I knew. That this guy who liked vintage t shirts and grind house films from the 70's. Who could chop wood and farm, and didn't mind talking in voices with me. He was the one for me. I totally loved him. I had never really loved before or been in a relationship. I saw no point, I dated and liked guys but never enough that I could see myself with them and so I would not keep it going.
A couple months later, it was summer now (Aug 2011), and I was sitting at this bar/pub place that was unique and interesting. They served only beer and great beer so Charles and I went there a lot. We were sitting there and he had gotten up to go get us two more beers and he came back. When he sat down he did a stretch, he made it really cheezy, and put his arm around me. We had never told each other we loved each other. He pulled me close to him and said "Liv, my clover, you're the one." I was confused. We had never spoken about our future together. Our futures yes, but not together. He noticed my confusing,"Liv I have been in love with you sense I met you that day we were dinosaurs. I want to be your husband." And that was that. Simple, sweet, and very Charlie. I love him though. Could not have asked for someone better, nor would I have.
