How I Met Him

My perspective though.

From my eyes, I could see him.

I walked into TCE thinking I already had the job. But I didn’t. It was actually a second interview. But I had signed a 13 month lease for an apartment on I35 for $600 a month one-bedroom.

I walked in thinking I already had the job but I knew I didn’t. But I also knew I would I had also been a phone canvasser at Hudson Bay Company in Lincoln, Nebraska. So I knew everything about TCE before even moving to Austin the day before.

James was observing that day too. He would be my TCE brother because we were both observing with Nakisha and she had observed I think with him.

So he was sitting at the table and I walked in. I had my bicycle though. I didn’t have a lock yet and my mom and I couldn’t figure out part of the brakes or something. So I parked my bike in the corner of the canvass bay.

But I had seen him like right as I came in - he was looking down - and I was like, oh no, that guys super and such a hippie. He had dreadlocks. I swear I didn’t see the ring on this fourth finger. But he had one. And I will find out.

Because in the burb one of the intro questions was, “What are you doing for Christmas?” And my answer was, nothing.

Part of the story is he was driving and I was sitting directly behind him in the back row.

Crazy how much life changes you. I was applying to be a canvasser. Now I teach yoga.

Well he hollered from the driving seat, “Come to my house for Christmas!” And I thought he must be joking. The cutest hippie boy I had ever seen literally just invited me to his family’s Christmas brouhaha in Austin, Texas. Wow. What luck! Yes, Please! But I didn’t say that of course not.

I my mind I swear my heart was elated because my new Austin crush had just asked me to his house for Christmas and we weren’t even dating yet! Remember, I hadn’t seen the ring yet. I had no idea he was married to Rachel.

There are so many people named Rachel but there is only one Rachel Trahan and that’s not who he was married to. Nope. A different one. But my name is Virginia.

Later that night after boss lady had offered me one paid position as staff member of Texas Campaign for the Environment. The only requirement being to raise a total of $750 a week by knocking on doors from 4pm until 9pm and receiving money in donation form via coin, cash, check and even credit card. I would be quite good at canvassing. But this blog isn’t about canvassing. This blog is about love. Duh.

He helped me with my bike break thing which was awesome. It also got me close enough to smell him without being weird and he smelled really good. Like a hippie. Did I mention he had dreadlocks and I had been thinking about getting dreadlocks myself so when he cut his off in April I was so sad. Because he then had super short hair and still cute but boy was he cuter with dreadlocks. Damn.

But by April so much had happened that I knew that he was in a relationship that was doomed to fail. I could see it. But I didn’t say anything. Instead I got dreadlocks put in by Nakisha and other folks at the dreadlock party that had come to cut his’s dreadlocks out. What a perfect party to also put some dreadlocks huh?

I would cut my dreadlocks off later too - when we lived in Dallas. I started running half marathons and they were too heavy for my neck so at first I just cut off some length but in the end decided to cut them all off and just regrow my hair out. But I had had really short hair in high school too so I wasn’t excited about the growing out time period.

But in December of 2006 I biked home from just getting the job of my dreams, meeting the boys of my dreams, and told my mom and dog all about it when I got back to my apartment off of I35.

The next day my mom drove home and I went to my first day of work at Texas Campaign for the Environment.

It was a retrain with Nakisha and James. She knocked on all the doors until 6pm and then James and I took turns in front of her until 630pm. And then we practiced a couple of times and went out until 9pm. I had a lot of fun. It was dark and cool. I could smell the dinners and the fireplaces. I didn’t raise a lot of money but I had a lot of fun.

And then on my second day I had a meet up. But I was out for the entire 5 hours and I knew that if I didn’t raise the standard by my fifth day I would be fired so I tried really hard but only raised about half of standard.

Obviously I raised standard at some point and then a whole bunch of time after. I would go on to open a record breaking Houston office for the organization in 2008. I would marry him in 2011.

But the first time I met Rachel it was raining.

Christmas 2006.

I woke up and walked Lynyrd and then got on my bike and road to his apartment in downtown Austin. And he wasn’t alone. There were three other people there. I parked my bike and said hi.

The older dad figure got in the drivers seat. The older mom figure got in the shot gun seat. The other me aged girl got in on one side and then I moved to get into the other door. Thinking he will surely sit next to her and then she’ll ride bitch middle. But he didn’t. He got in on my side. What the fuck. Making me sit middle all the way to whereever we are going. Also who the heck is sitting on my left? She’s super quiet, short red hair, and the sniffles.

Later when we were opening presents under the Christmas tree there was a present for me - Virginia. It was foot lotion and from his mom. She’s so sweet. Probably unaware that her second son was even bringing hom a rogue canvasser for the holiday party. Dashing up to bathroom to find something small and sweet to regift and then going into the sewing room and putting in a gift bag real quick. She really is a darling.