Hot Pink Cooler

It all started with a him singing her wedding dream song...

She was new to town, her grandmother owned the little cottage that her and her kids lived in. She moved there to get away from her abusive mother and ex boyfriend. Fresh out of an abusive relationship, and not knowing any better about healing from each relationship. She was on a dating site and was speaking to a man who lived 500 m from her, so said the app. They spoke for a few months on the app. They never saw each other in town, but she could hear the engine from his lifted truck rev by her home at 5 am when he left for work.

She had an issue with the gate into her yard, so she asked him if he could recommend anyone to fix it. He said he could come look at it. She offered a steak dinner as her and her two friends were having a BBQ and a few drinks while her kid's were gone for the weekend to their grandmothers house. As a single mom who did not have support from the father of her children. She got support from their grand-parents. He didn't want food but said he would come for a drink and check out the gate issue. At first her friend's we're curious as to who was looking at the gate. She was busy inside making potatos and when she looked out the kitchen window, saw a tall, husky guy with a baseball hat, shorts and a t-shirt holding a hot pink cooler bag looking at the gate. He just looked at the gate without saying a word to the two friends sitting on the deck at the table.

She came out and said "Hey, you must be Caleb" he turned around to face her and said "Yep, that would be me". She told him to come on over and sit. She introduced him to her two friends Andy and John. Andy made a comment about Caleb's pink cooler bag insiuating that it was girly for a man to be carrying around. Caleb was quick with his tongue and angry response. Caleb then ignored most of what Andy was talking about that night. She noticed the tension but wanted to know who this man was that she had been texting so close to home for three months. Caleb had a 15 hour a day job, and he lived across the street from her. He spoke of his accomplishements with College and his job. She was intruiqued. They listened to music and drank beers together for a couple of hours. Her favorite song came on "Forever and Ever Amen" and she turned it up and and said out loud "Once I find a man who can sing this beautifully word for word I want to marry that man, and have him sing it to her at their wedding".

Soon as she stated this, Caleb started singing. He sounded exactly the same as the singer and she was in awe. It was like he was singing it to her and everyone around them just disappeared. She saw he had beautiful blue eyes under his glasses. She already liked that he was a working guy, with a car and a beautiful white lifted truck. Speaking of the truck, she asked if she could come look at what wakes her up at 5 am with a laugh. He said "I'll be right back". She could hear the engine turn on, it was starting to get dark, Caleb drove past her house and around the block to the back gate. She walked up to the truck and said "Beautiful, why did you have it lifted? how do you even get in?" He smiled and said "Your going to think I'm an asshole, but there is only one reason that men get their trucks lifted, and that's so fat chicks can't get it" She laughed and said "wanna bet?".

She then opened the passenger door, took a look at where she should pull herself up from, jumped, grabbed the handle inside the truck by the window and pulled herself in. She fixed herself in the seat and said "Ha, what do I win?" He looked at her and smiled. "Close the door". She closed the door and they drove down the highway to a farmers field where she saw the most beautiful sunset. Caleb told her he often goes there when he feel's stressed to watch the sunset. "Its the best spot in this small town". She had so many different thoughts on what to say, but told him they should get back to her friends. He turned back onto the high way and took them back to her house. Caleb said he was tired and should go home. She said "good night" and jumped out of his truck.

She felt like she was walking on a cloud, though that was most likely just because she had a few to drink. She defintetly wanted to see him again. She was so unaware that he would be the man that she would fight later in life for 5 years, breaking her spirit, her heart over and over, relapse on cocaine, he best friend and her worse nightmare all wrapped in one.