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Author Topic: The Little Girl  (Read 14102 times)

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LadyLionness

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The Little Girl
« on: July 20, 2013, 04:00:35 PM »
WARNING: Extremely LOOOOOONG!
 
 It all started long long ago... once upon a time, when Hmong still missed each other... and took every opportunity to get together.
 
 Chicago, IL December 1982. A little girl drove down from Sheboygan, Wisconsin with herolder brother and sister-in-law to attend the New Year celebration in her old home town. They had just moved from Chicago a few months ago.
 
 The little girl was busy playing with her friends and having a good time. Unbeknownst to her, she had caught the eyes of a little boy. He watched her all evening. He noticed how she laughed and danced with her friends. From time to time, he thought he caught a glimpse of the little girl looking at him too. She was 9. And he was 14. Being a Christian kid, the little boy have been taught that he should not dance. But he really really liked the little girl. So he waited all evening, waited until all his Christian friends and relatives have gone home. Finally, he gathered up enough courage to ask the little girl to dance.
 
 He walked over and stood in front of her. He put his hands together in front of his chest, in a Laotian-style greeting. Gave a quick bow and without waiting for an answer, walked to the middle of the dance floor to wait for the little girl. The little girl didn't know what to do. She had wanted to say no, but he was already waiting on the dance floor. Her friends and relatives urged her to and dance with him.
 
 Nervously, she walked up to the little boy. When the little girl stood in front of the little boy, he reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. She giggled and took his hands and put them on her waist. And then she craned her neck to see what the adults were doing and together they started rocking from side to side. This would be the only thing that the little girl remembered about the little boy. But this night would be forever burned into the memory of the little boy.
 
 The little boy was not aware that she had moved, so he would spend many years searching for this little girl in the 12 story building apartment that he had seen her living in prior to moving to Wisconsin. He searched every Hmong girl's face, but he would not find this little girl anywhere. Even as he grew up and got married and had his own family, he would continued to wonder about the little girl.
 
 Twenty Years Later...
 
 On October 17, 2002, Greg's wife had just confessed that he had been having an affair. While each of them were crying at 2:00 AM (she just got home), the family portrait hanging over the fireplace feel down and the glass shattered. His marriage was coming to an end. They had 4 kids, 3 boys and 1 girl.
 
 On October 28, 2002, Kat left her husband and his abusiveness behind. It was the beginning of a long journey, but little by little this 65 year old woman (in her mind) will slowly heal and will get younger and younger as the days merged into weeks and turned into years until she will eventually feel 16 for the rest of her life... hehehe... seriously. She was 29 years old. She had given birth to 4 kids, 3 girls and 1 boy.
October 16, 2004, Greg was in Aurora, IL, a suburb of Chicago when one of his relatives was telling him about this one divorcee that they were trying to her his friend to go visit, but the friend said that she was too old. Greg was surprised b/c Chicago was his home town and he knew most of the people. He was not aware that there was a divorcee living there.
 
 His aunt told him that this lady was educated and really smart, but really dumb. This really piqued his interest as he had never met anyone who was really smart and really dumb at the same time. He wanted to meet her. Kat had some relatives who went to the same church as Greg's aunt, so she called them. They didn't have her number either, but they just helped her move the week before. They told the aunt that she lived at the crossing of two major streets, next to a newly built bank.
 
 Greg was usually a laid back guy, but he really wanted to meet this lady, so he asked his aunt to go with him to look for Kat's house. They drove down (about 30 minutes away) and at the crossing, the aunt recognized Kat's truck in the drive way.
 
 They went in and Kat's younger sister was home, taking care of her kids while she was at work. When Greg looked around and saw the pictures on the wall, he did what he had always done and wondered if this was the little girl from so long ago. After talking to the sister for a little bit... he left his number and asked that Kat gave him a call.
 
 After they left, Kat's sister called her and said that the Pizza Lady took a guy to the house looking for her. She passed on the number and said, "Oh, yeah. That guy said that he also have a copy of the same book as yours, The Five Languages of Love." Upon asking about what he looked like and how tall he was, Kat's sister said that he was decent looking about tall (lolz... Kat failed to remember that to her sister's height of 4' 9", EVERYBODY is tall, so at 5' 2", Greg was definitely perceived as tall.)
 
 After some thoughts, Kat gave him a call. They talked for 2 hours. It was very comfortable and conversations flowed naturally. He asked if he could see her. Kat was not sure if she would like him or if she would want to spend the whole evening with him, so she suggested that they meet for lunch since she had taken that Friday off, to pack and go on a trip.
 
 So the next day - October 17, 2004, he came to the door with some flowers and they went out to lunch together. After lunch, they came back to Kat's house and just talked. There was such a longing and yearning for the noise and bustle of family life in Greg's eyes that she could not bear to send him away. He was just soaking it all in, watching and interacting with the kids. Finally, Kat's sister reminded her that they had to be on the road.
 
 They continued to talk from time to time, but nothing real serious. On December 11, 2004, they decided to meet at the Milwaukee New Year celebration. They met and tossed ball with each other for a bit. And then Kat invited Greg to have dinner with her and her sister. He declined dinner, but came early to the restaurant to spend some time with them. This was where one of the parties were going to be that night. The party did not start until nine, but they were there early, so the four of them started messing around and were dancing to the music as the musician was setting up the sound system. It was during one of the dance - when Greg was holding Kat from behind as they were dancing on the dance floor - that Kat fell in love with Greg.
 
 The next morning, Kat invited Greg to visit her at her parent's house, which was in Sheboygan, an hour north. So he showed up and picked her up for church. When she sat down in the car, he put his hands on her slightly exposed thigh, the sheath dress had a front-left-thigh slit... and said, "Katherine, you know, I have not been with a woman in a long time." They laughed and Kat covered her leg.
 
 After church, Greg went up to her parent's apartment and within a minute or two of looking at the photos on the wall - some of them with Kat as a teenager - and he exclaimed, "YOU are that little girl!!!"
 
 Perplexed, Kat asked, "What little girl?"
 
 Greg explained, "The little girl that I have spent years and years looking for." He went on to explained about the dance. He told her about what the little girl was wearing. A blue pants that tied at the ankle (my mom made the pants for me) and a bluish green shirt. He also said that the little girl had on brown sandals that buckled at the ankle. Lastly, he said that the little girl had the top part of her hair up in a barrette at the back with beads and ribbons hanging down.
 
 Of course, the little girl did not remember much from that night, but as he kept on talking, she finally remember that there was a little boy from long ago, who asked her to dance by bobbing and then waiting in the middle of the dance floor... and that he put his hands on her shoulders, but she put them on her waist. Greg said that the little boy was him. Kat was not quite convinced, so when she got home, she took out this picture... the only picture she had from that night.
 
 And sure enough, the outfit was exactly as he had described. And her hair was half up. And yes, that was the time when little girls put ribbons through barrettes and put beads on the ends. It was amazing that the impression of the little girl was branded in the little boys head for 22 years... and he was able to recall that day as if it just happened. (And if you consider how forgetful my husband is now, you would really be amazed too.)
 
Later that day, Kat told Greg that she was in love with him, but that he was not over his ex-wife yet, so she did not want to date him, just be his friend. They continued to talk to each other once in a while and he would visit her whenever he was in town. This was about once or twice a month. One night in February of 2003, Greg called Kat and said nervously, "I really should be saying this in person... on one knee, with a bouquet of flowers in my hand, but since we are 6 hours apart, this is the best that I can do..."
 
 Kat was scared to death. It sounded like a marriage proposal and they have not even started dating yet. She knew that if he asked her to marry him, she would have to say NO.
 
 Greg continues, "... will you be my girlfriend?"
 
 Kat started laughing and laughing and laughing; poor Greg. He didn't know what to make of this. Finally, she was able to get herself under control and said that yes, she would be his girlfriend. That she was afraid it was a marriage proposal, to which she would have to say NO.
 
 One time, Greg and Kat were having lunch, they started talking. Upon finding out that his ex-wife was also born in the year of 1973 like Kat, she told him that it was scary b/c her dad had wanted to name her Pang (like his ex-wife), but he was out of town and her grandpa gave her the wrong name. Kat's dad was really upset... so much that her mom remembered the incidence and told her about it. So his ex-wife and Kat would have had the same name, same last name, and been born in the same year.
 
 Greg said, "That's not as scary as what I am about to tell you." Kat was curious, so she asked him to continue. He said that his ex had never liked American names and never had one... but when she started cheating on him, she started using the the name Katherine Her... b/c she thought that she looked like Catherine Zeta-Jones. In 1997, when Kat became a citizen, she changed her name to Katherine. After her divorce, Kat started using her maiden name, Katherine Her.
 
 As they continued talking, they discussed the fact that both of their first born would have had the same name if Kat's first child had been a boy. Kat's ex-husband had two names a picked out, Christopher for a boy and Christie for a girl... but since the first child was a girl, she was named Christie. And then Kat's second daughter was named Grace... and his daughter's name was Bethanie-Grace, who usually goes by the nickname Beth. Kat's youngest was named Elizabeth, who could have also used the nickname Beth as well. They also discovered that Kat fell in love with every man with the name Shua as part of their names... and it is also part of her father's name. All of Greg's girlfriends were named Pang... and it is also his mother's name.
 
 Furthermore, if the kids were lined kids up, their ages look like they could come from the same parents (at the time):
 
 Christopher - 14
 Johnathan - 13
 Nicholas - 12
 Christie -11
 Bethanie - 9
 Grace - 7
 Ben - 5
 Elizabeth - 3
 
 In April of 2005, they decided to get married. Greg's lease done at the end of May, so if they were going to get married, it would have to be in May. They did not want to just started living together without having the Hmong wedding done yet. So Kat called her parents... and they were all booked due to graduation and another wedding... and the only weekend they had opened was May 20, 2005.
 
 When Kat called Greg about the availability, he said, "I don't know if you would want to do the wedding on that particular day." When she asked him why, he said that May 20, 17 years ago, was same day he went to ask for his wife in marriage as well.
 
 By then, Kat was no longer "shocked" by all the coincidence... it seems like they were destined or designed to marry each other so they went ahead and had the Hmong wedding on that weekend.
 
 

______________ ___________
 
Final note:  It was not until I was writing this story today that I realized that the DAY Greg and I met for the fist time after 22 years was also on the very day when his ex-wife confessed that she was cheating on him.


« Last Edit: July 22, 2013, 12:33:50 PM by LadyLionness »

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LadyLionness

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2013, 04:02:01 PM »
The little boy, all grown up.




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LadyLionness

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2013, 04:03:03 PM »
The little girl, now a grown woman.




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LadyLionness

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2013, 04:04:18 PM »
Together.  23 years after that first dance.




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Offline tRouBLe

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2013, 04:40:21 PM »
Beautiful story and wonderful pictures, LL.  Thanks for sharing a part of your life with us.   O0



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Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. ~ John Wooden

Offline Reporter

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2013, 04:15:32 PM »
Beautiful story and wonderful pictures, LL.  Thanks for sharing a part of your life with us.   O0

What about yours, trouble? Sharing is caring. Go ahead and make my day! :2funny:



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The snooping eye sees everything."--Ono No Komachi, Japanese Poetess (emphasis)

Offline SummerBerry

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2013, 12:33:33 AM »
Beautiful story and sooner or later we will get to meet each other one day.  Almost like a dream to reunited after 20 years and only to be married. Were like stranger online and knowing only through the connection of other Christian people.  Asked your husband what city does my grandpa Joe (Ntsuab Ze) lived in IL.  I never knew your husband is from IL. 



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Offline Reporter

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2013, 12:56:17 AM »
Beautiful story and sooner or later we will get to meet each other one day.  Almost like a dream to reunited after 20 years and only to be married. Were like stranger online and knowing only through the connection of other Christian people.  Asked your husband what city does my grandpa Joe (Ntsuab Ze) lived in IL.  I never knew your husband is from IL. 

I'm sure it's Chicago.



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"...
The snooping eye sees everything."--Ono No Komachi, Japanese Poetess (emphasis)

Offline Fancee

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2013, 08:35:49 AM »
Wow! What a beautiful love story!
And the pictures prove to be such fairy tale!

What a fabulous couple!
Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures! O0 :-*



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Calypso

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2013, 09:17:02 AM »
Awww..  :)

I enjoyed reading your love story, LL. Thank you for sharing, and I hope you've been doing well.



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proudlao

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2013, 09:49:00 AM »
Love is wonderful isn't it Kat?  :)  When two people are detined to be it will be.
 
I wonder if mine is out there waiting patiently and searching for me too  ;D
 
 



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Offline Fancee

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2013, 09:51:34 AM »
Love is wonderful isn't it Kat?  :)  When two people are detined to be it will be.
 
I wonder if mine is out there waiting patiently and searching for me too  ;D
 
 
Love is only wonderful when you are loved and give love.



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Life insurance with living benefits.
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1luv

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2013, 09:53:00 AM »
Great story there. 

When I get mine, It will be a short story about a small paragraph or so.  Reason for it is simple.  How we met, it will be a short one but how we end, it will be a book upon book type of a simple story.




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proudlao

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2013, 09:53:38 AM »
Love is only wonderful when you are loved and give love.


I agree.



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AOZ

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Re: The Little Girl (Limited Time - Weekend Only)
« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2013, 10:38:58 AM »
awe beautiful   :-* :-*



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