First Love Second Chance - Marie

Marie was my soul mate. She was a major part of my life from the time we met in 1977 until 1987 when I came home from Germany for my Grandmother's funeral. Ten years of knowing that she was there for me, but I broke her heart by getting married in Germany, and expecting for her to understand that I was lonely.

That was the type of fool I was. I tried to talk her into marriage when I was 16, 18, and 25 years of age. Then I was assigned to a unit in Germany. I literally begged her to marry me. I really could not see my life without her in it. So what was the problem? It was a number of things, but I guess it broiled down to 2.

Marie had an uncle stationed in Texas in the Army. For some reason, she compared his lifestyle to mine. He "dated" many women where he was at, and did not hide that fact from the family. Well, she believed she knew what soldiers did with their free time.  Never did she mention me with another girlfriend, just prositutes like her uncle. Hell, I never met the man.

Reason number 2 I think she was scared to be away from her mother. There she was protected, safe from anything the world might throw her way.

It was a 1985 trip home that we made love for the first time. She initiated it by calling me and asking me to pick her up after work, and take her to a motel room she had paid for. Of course, she wanted me to give her her money back. I was more than ready to take our relationship to the next level. Yeah, more than ready.

Before I flew back to Germany, I tried one final time to talk her into marriage, and hit the same wall of denial. About a month after I arrived back at my unit, I recceived a letter from Marie wanting me to help her get a house right up the street from her mother. Now what would I look like helping the woman I love buy a house when she would not marry me, and would be having men in the house. Just wasn't going to happen.

I wrote her back and told her that. Before I came home two years later, I was so lonely that I fell for and married a German woman with a 12 year old daughter. I thought I was in love. I ran into Marie and her sisters going intl the Diamond Inn night club the night I was leaving to returned to my unit.She asked me one question and it was over.

"Are you married?" I answered, "yes." She said, "Then I have nothing else to say to you."

I divorced my first wife two years after I got out of the service. It took me a year to figure out that I could not maintained two households, and I could live without her. The German government required a one year waiting period to see if any kids were involved.

I thought/think about Marie all the time. There has not been a day to pass that I have not thought of her. I wanted to see her, but every one I asked about her said that she was married. For this reason, I kept my distance, but I want to see her to apologize face to face for the way I treated her. Maybe, someday I will get that chance. Only two other women has come close to this, but that distance is far behind.

So says the Last Partner. This is one man view. My view.