First of all, I have to preface this post by stating for the record that I love my wife more than anyone else on Earth. More importantly, I am in love with Bethany with every fiber of my being. That being said, I do love another woman--platonically of course. That woman is Kim McCullough. I'm pretty sure her husband Rob knows how I feel about her--after all, she was my work wife at Treats Unleashed before she was his real wife. By the time I met Kim, Rob had already swept her off her feet, and I was a very happily married man with a young son. I was also fourteen years her senior. How many times did I have to endure hearing her repeat the phrase, "Oh my god, you're HOW old?! You're almost the same age as my mom!" So there was a bit of a generation gap, sure. But we became good friends during the years we worked together nevertheless.
I watched Kim mature from a relatively naive 19 year old college student to a 25 year old college graduate, retail store manager (after I "retired" from that same post), and a loving wife. In the process, my real wife grew accustomed to hearing me refer to Kim as my work wife, and she seemed to appreciate the friendship that developed as much as I did. Rob & Kim and Bethany & I have become great friends and we have enjoyed painting the town red together whenever we've been able to convince Grandma Glee to babysit our kids for an evening. But sadly, those opportunities will be few and far between from now on. My work wife and her real husband are moving away.
Rob shall forever more be referred to as Doctor Rob since he landed a coveted residency in a Kansas City hospital after graduating from the MU School of Medicine this spring (Congrats, Doc.) But of course that means we will not see our friends very often from now on. Luckily, they are moving to Liberty, where Bethany's sister Charla lives with her family, so we will surely see each other now and then. But I will certainly miss having my friend Kim nearby.
Kim is a vibrant, vivacious person. Spunky. Sassy. Smart. Funny as hell. She and I share many of the same philosophical and political views. We laugh at the same jokes. We both enjoy drunken bowling. We love dogs. In truth, she is much more than a work wife to me. She is my friend. And I am going to miss the hell out of her when she moves away. So Kim, if you are reading this, I want to tell you right now (so that when we all go out one last time before you move, I won't start blubbering like a little baby) that I am going to miss you like crazy. You are a wonderful person and you mean the world to me. I have a lot of "guy friends" who I could never say these things to, but that's the cool thing about having a female friend: You won't laugh at me for being all sappy and telling you how I feel. Well, maybe you will, but that would be tolerable coming from you. I will always cherish the time we shared at the store, especially while my mom was battling cancer and we were going through Truman's adoption process because you were always there for me to talk to. And I was so proud to watch you walk down the aisle with Rob. You looked so beautiful in your wedding dress--and happy. And you have always been great to Bethany and my kids--and to me. I am damn glad I met you. (You too Rob.) :)
This is not goodbye, but good luck. Good luck, Kim & R0b, in the next chapter of your lives. May you always be as happy as you have made me feel over the past few years. And Kim, my work wife, my dear friend; always remember that there is an old married guy in Columbia who is forever grateful for having had the chance to get to know you. I love you.
I watched Kim mature from a relatively naive 19 year old college student to a 25 year old college graduate, retail store manager (after I "retired" from that same post), and a loving wife. In the process, my real wife grew accustomed to hearing me refer to Kim as my work wife, and she seemed to appreciate the friendship that developed as much as I did. Rob & Kim and Bethany & I have become great friends and we have enjoyed painting the town red together whenever we've been able to convince Grandma Glee to babysit our kids for an evening. But sadly, those opportunities will be few and far between from now on. My work wife and her real husband are moving away.
Rob shall forever more be referred to as Doctor Rob since he landed a coveted residency in a Kansas City hospital after graduating from the MU School of Medicine this spring (Congrats, Doc.) But of course that means we will not see our friends very often from now on. Luckily, they are moving to Liberty, where Bethany's sister Charla lives with her family, so we will surely see each other now and then. But I will certainly miss having my friend Kim nearby.
Kim is a vibrant, vivacious person. Spunky. Sassy. Smart. Funny as hell. She and I share many of the same philosophical and political views. We laugh at the same jokes. We both enjoy drunken bowling. We love dogs. In truth, she is much more than a work wife to me. She is my friend. And I am going to miss the hell out of her when she moves away. So Kim, if you are reading this, I want to tell you right now (so that when we all go out one last time before you move, I won't start blubbering like a little baby) that I am going to miss you like crazy. You are a wonderful person and you mean the world to me. I have a lot of "guy friends" who I could never say these things to, but that's the cool thing about having a female friend: You won't laugh at me for being all sappy and telling you how I feel. Well, maybe you will, but that would be tolerable coming from you. I will always cherish the time we shared at the store, especially while my mom was battling cancer and we were going through Truman's adoption process because you were always there for me to talk to. And I was so proud to watch you walk down the aisle with Rob. You looked so beautiful in your wedding dress--and happy. And you have always been great to Bethany and my kids--and to me. I am damn glad I met you. (You too Rob.) :)
This is not goodbye, but good luck. Good luck, Kim & R0b, in the next chapter of your lives. May you always be as happy as you have made me feel over the past few years. And Kim, my work wife, my dear friend; always remember that there is an old married guy in Columbia who is forever grateful for having had the chance to get to know you. I love you.
6 comments:
And where is my dedicated post to your original work wife?! ;)
Okay, you seriously made me cry.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Travis. It has been a pleasure to have had you in my life for the last 7 years, to say the least. You were one of my very first friends when I moved to Columbia, a young college student new to Columbia, and new to being an adult on my own. You really were there as I "grew up" learning how to juggle school and work, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and developing my relationship with Rob. I will always remember the time we spent together at the store every day, getting to do what we love, and being able to do it with someone we loved spending time with as well. I adore your lovely wife and adorable children, and your mom is an amazing woman that I could never forget.
I know life will take us apart by distance, but I have always believed that your true friends that are an important part of your life, as you have been, will always remain your friends no matter the distance, or the months that may separate your visits. We will definitely visit each other in the future, where I know we will pick right back up where we last ended.
You're an amazing friend, with the biggest heart I've ever seen, and I am proud and privileged to have had you in my life. Here's to many more years of friendship!
Now you have both made me cry.
Travis - I don't see you nearly as often as I would like to but I think of you often and keep track of you through Jess and Kim.
We will miss you in Columbia Kim!
Tears. :( That was great Trav. I have a feeling I'm going to be bawling on the 6th.
Sorry to make everyone teary-eyed. And sorry to my original work wife Huongers for the oversight. (I did dedicate a post to you at one point when you became a Chiefs cheerleader however.) I am blessed to have worked with so many amazing women while at that store. Huong, Meredith, Emily, Lindsey, Lisa, Kristina, Annie, Jessica, Teresa, Kate, Julie, and Kim just to name a few. It almost makes a guy miss going to work. Almost. ;)
PS: My post on Aug. 25, 2005 is the famous cheerleader pic.
And Teresa, I miss you, too. Best. Boss. Ever. :)
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