It all started with 'hello'

I walked into the store that evening, and my attention was drawn to the young woman standing at the register — an outgoing individual with deep, soulful eyes surrounded by long, curly, blonde hair. She flashed me a smile and extended a friendly “hello” as I passed by. I returned the courtesy with a smile as well.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I had just met the woman that I would marry less than a year later.

Looking back, I’m convinced more than ever it was meant to happen. That one moment in time represented the culmination of everything that had happened in our lives up to that point.

But once we met, we never wanted to let go.

We still remember the day and the time – March 14, 1990, around 7 p.m. Brenda worked at a toy and hobby store at a mall in Great Falls, Mont. I tended to visit the place on a regular basis since I was a model railroad buff and was always looking to add to my meager but growing collection.

Brenda knew something was different that evening – that something special was about to happen. Continuing to watch me shop, she turned to an individual standing at the cash register and told him, “Don’t ask me why I know this, but that’s the man I’m going to marry.”

Me? I was completely oblivious to the fact that my life was going to change forever.

Moments passed, and Brenda hoped to strike up a conversation, starting with the obvious, “can I help you” opener. I politely told her that I was just browsing but thanked her for asking. It was then that a little voice inside my head said something to the effect of, “Cute girl; has to be 16 years old.”

In my mind, that translated to, “Hands off... like plutonium.”

Brenda obviously didn’t want me to leave, so she continued her conversation. She asked if I was in the Air Force and what I did for a living. My military style haircut was a dead giveaway, apparently.

I simply told her I was a photojournalist and tended to have fairly steady work hours on base. She marked another item on her mental checklist. From her perspective, things were looking very good.

By now, I was really enjoying our conversation. At the same time, I was afraid to ask her out.

So I did the one thing that seemed the right thing to do. I did a mental “look” up to Heaven and asked something to the effect of, “If it’s okay to ask her on a date, would you please give me a little sign?”

Immediately afterward, Brenda looked at me and said, “You know? You look like a really nice guy to go out with.”

I did another mental look upward and simply said, “Thanks.”

Before I left the store that evening, I had her name, address and phone number. I left the mall and drove back to base saying over and over, “God, whatever you do, please do not let me screw this up.” I was terrified that somehow, I would ruin what I hoped would be a lasting relationship.

Brenda, in comparison, was overjoyed and had no fears or concerns whatsoever. After work, she immediately raced home and emphatically announced, “Mom! I found a MAN!”

I called her the next afternoon seeing if she wanted to meet again. Brenda invited me over to her mother’s home, where she lived at the time.

What happened next was something that, to this day, she admits was completely unplanned. However, I’m still not convinced this was all merely “coincidence.”

It wasn’t the fact I got to meet her mother that seemed out of place. It was the fact her sister just “happened” to stop by that evening along with her aunt, her uncle and a friend of the family. Even her mom’s cat, who despised all men, plopped onto my lap to say, “hello.” Once I had his “seal of approval,” I was apparently good to go.

Right off the bat, it seemed we were meant to be together. The first clue happened during our first official date — dinner at a local pizza restaurant. Being a gentleman, I let her order whatever she wanted off the menu, but she was willing to compromise on the choice of toppings.

The one thing I noticed was she ate each slice but never finished the crusts, which is my favorite part of the pizza. Without thinking, I committed a breach of etiquette and asked if I could eat them, which she eagerly put on my plate. That should’ve been the first clue that our relationship was meant to be.

The next not-so-subtle clue happened a few months later when we gained the ability to seemingly read each other’s thoughts. Case in point: As I drove to the mall to pick Brenda up from work one night, I thought about treating her to dinner at Taco Bell.

For some reason, it just sounded good, and the meal wouldn’t “pinch” my wallet. As I walked into the store and before I could say anything, she immediately asked something to the effect of, “Can we go to Taco Bell tonight?”

I was absolutely dumbfounded.

Just three months after we first met, I knew Brenda was the person I wanted to marry.

We originally planned to get married the following March to mark the one-year anniversary of the day we first met. However, we hastily moved up the date to December after I found out I was scheduled to deploy as part of Operation Desert Shield (I never did go, by the way).

We planned a simple ceremony at the justice of the peace at the courthouse in Great Falls that included our friends and my co-workers. We held the formal church ceremony a couple of years later.

Over the years, we cherish two anniversaries. We rejoice each March 14 to remember the day that changed our lives. We rejoice again each Dec. 3 to honor the day that united our souls during a modest celebration in which we simply spent time together.

Both days mark our continued journey together that all began with a simple “hello.”

– Brian S. Orban