First Ever Guest Post with Far Too Much Commentary from Me

A few weeks ago, Sherry wrote me and said “remember how I introduced you and Bart? And how I liked him a lot but then he asked you out instead? I should write a guest post about it.”

And she did. My comments are in italics because, well, I can’t stop my talky mouth.

During our freshman year at BYU, Janssen and I were neighbors. Along with our respective roommates the four of us comprised the Topless Girls because we lived in T-Hall. And what better way to help our friends and family members remember exactly which hall we lived in than such an amusingly inappropriate mnemonic device. That Janssen was a rather clever girl. Toward the end of our freshman year the four of us set out to find a place to live together the next year. We chose an apartment complex southeast of campus, and we eagerly anticipated our new year together.

Just prior to school beginning I returned to Provo from my native Dallas. I had to be back in Provo early to start my new job at Freshman Academy as Peer Mentor. I was really looking forward to this job after eight long months of working as a stir-fry cook in the Cougar Cove (also known as the worst job I ever had) because it had several perks including higher pay, flexible hours, and a more meaningful job. I was assigned to work with a community 120 freshman who were taking three classes together. I helped them adjust to university life, arranged various class and community activities, and helped facilitate interactions between students and professors. Of course, it would be ludicrous to expect me to keep tabs on 120 freshman all by myself. Fortunately, I had none other than Bart as my co-peer mentor.

I immediately liked Bart. After all, he is quite a likeable fellow. Easy going and good natured. Very honest and forthright, but not pushy and overbearing. Within a few days of training, it dawned on me that I was beginning to have a wee crush on this Bart chap. And of course, I had to tell my roommates all about him.

After a few days, Janssen had pretty much had enough merely hearing about Bart and had to meet him in person. [I wasn’t really interested in meeting him because I figured he wouldn’t be at all my type since I hadn’t really cared for her last boyfriend (I feel justified in saying this because Sherry didn’t like my last boyfriend all that much either)].

The first time she saw him, they didn’t so much meet as pass each other in the hall. I was walking with Bart, and I passed her. We gave quick waves as she set off to purchase the All Sports Passes for the four Topless Girls. [I was really going out to lunch with a friend of mine and his dad, and I don’t remember seeing Bart at all, although Sherry claims she tried to give me clues through raised-eyebrows and a little subtle head-jerking]. I told Bart that she was my roommate, and he said he thought she might be a little sister. [Story of my life].

As training turned into New Student Orientation, Bart and I continued to have quite a few interactions. He tended to tease me about being a sophomore; “So young!” he said. During NSO I got Janssen and some other people into some of the “freshmen only” activities, so she got to hang out with Bart and really see why I was so impressed [the first night I met him, we all walked up to the Marriott Center and we chatted a lot (it turned out I knew his cousin) and Sherry said later she was slightly bugged that he was so friendly to me].

After that quick meeting, he commented that my roommate was, “Kind of cute.” I distinctly recall telling him that she was younger than me. After all, if he teased me about being a sophomore, what would he say if he knew that she was supposed to be a freshman? Ha. That would show him. [Whoops, Bart didn’t catch the “only 18” bit. And Sherry told me that Bart had said I was cute, so I knew to be ultra-friendly the next time, because, well, he was pretty good-looking and charming himself.]

[So the next day, we went to another New Student Orientation activity and we both were very chatty and smiley, because I knew he thought I was cute and he knew I knew he thought I was cute. This sounds like high school. Too bad.]

Perhaps that night, or maybe another night, he came over to our apartment and had ice cream cake. We ate a lot of ice cream cake back then because Janssen worked at Cold Stone as a cake decorator. Great times! [It was that night and he had to leave fairly quickly because he was going to a movie with friend and I thought he might invite me along. But he didn’t. His loss].

The next night while the Topless Girls sat around our kitchen table eating dinenr, I got a phone call from Bart. He asked me if it would be okay if he asked Janssen on a date. Well, I certainly wasn’t going to tell him no, but I’m sure I hesitated. And then I wondered if that hesitation was apparent. [The other three of us sitting at the table were instantly aware of who was on the phone and what he was probably asking about. And it was ridiculously awkward when Sherry handed the phone to me and I had to accept his invitation with all three of them staring at me].

Truthfully, I was a little peeved about it. But really, what was I supposed to do but get over it? Which is what I did. And now I’m so happy that I introduced those crazy kids to each other. And really, it all worked out fine in the end because I got married just a few months before Janssen. See? I won! [And she’s living in New Zealand now, so she really does win].