Chapter 22: The Healing of Ahnora
Mary Jo had been gone over a year, and I decided to find a new companion. I was forty-nine. The quest began. I joined a dating service called Just Lunch. The company would give my biography to females they thought would be interested and arrange lunch. We were to split, but I always paid. Old school. The first little date, I was impressed. We communicated well and she was attractive. After lunch, she said, "Bob, I have enjoyed talking with you. You are attractive and will do well, but I have too much going on to start a relationship." I said OK but wondered why she was even there. Over the next several months, I attended probably twenty lunches. No chemistry.
I joined an online dating service called E-Harmony and met Ahnora, who lived in North Carolina. Her picture showed an extremely attractive woman, she was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed and a beautiful smile. We communicated instantly and talked for countless hours over the next several months. At times, she’d ask me to explain what I was seeing because she wanted to see through my eyes. She had the most beautiful voice and would sometimes sing to me. We were falling in love.
One Friday, I decided to see what the local nightlife was about. I found a club right around the corner called The Alumni. This was the same strip mall where Travis was taking his lessons. I hadn't been in a bar in years. The club had a dance floor, an excellent DJ who played great music and delicious food. I ended up going every Friday and Saturday night for the next three years. I became a regular, and friends with the owner, D.J. and the bartenders. When I would walk in, a shot of Three Olives vodka plus a Bud Light would be waiting. I love to dance. In high school, I played the trumpet in a marching band and learned rhythm. The Alumni was always fun, but I never left with anyone. I am not the type to approach a lady saying "What's your sign?" When taking a break from dancing, I was never approached by a female. I always left when the lights came on. Didn't matter if I was always left alone. I’d met Ahnora.
One Saturday night, I left the Alumni really hammered, I’d had seven shots of vodka and lord knows how many beers.My duplex was right around the corner. All of a sudden, there’s a cop behind me. Great. He walks up, I talked real slow. “What’s the issue, officer?”” You coasted through a stop sign.” I gave him my license and registration. After several minutes, he asked,” Where do you live?”” One-minute drive.”” You can go.” When I got out of the car, I fell face down into the landscaping. I eventually quite drinking as much, but it took years.
After seven months of talking daily with Ahnora, I discovered my insurance would cover her pre-existing condition if we married. She had a mild cancer. I flew to North Carolina, as a surprise, to ask her to marry me. I called, "Honey, I'm at the airport and will be over soon." She said,'' Bobby, go home. You can't see me like this." She said the cancer had flared. I told her I didn't care, she did. I flew home naturally upset. We talked a little after that, but it wasn't the same, we grew apart. Several years later, I discovered the picture she had posted wasn’t her, which is why she wouldn't see me. Several years later we finally met, she was responsible for arranging the circumstances for one of the very greatest miracles I’ll ever experience.
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