Months ago, I promised to tell the tale of “how I worshiped Mr. Jaunty from afar—- he was called ‘Ian’ back then— how I almost blew our first date, how we ended up together, why our first kiss was such a let-down, what completely mundane thing he said on our third date that touched my heartstrings, how we shacked up… all that mushy, mushy goodness.”
For those who are dashing off to work or uninterested in mush, here’s the abridged version:
I met my boyfriend in college. We had choir together.
THE END.
click image for source
Those who enjoy a little rose-colored personal history can keep reading…
Here is The Very First Allusion to Ian, published on my old blog “[Surname] the Bold”:
August 31, 2007 — Pushed: Based on a True Story
Though I’ve watched him for weeks, months, we have never spoken. I could never be good enough for a man like him, so I’ve always kept a reverent distance.
But today… he touched me. Our first touch.
I was standing in a dimly lit hallway, rummaging through my backpack… when I felt his hand.
It came down squarely between my shoulder blades, pushing me aside.
“Excuse us,” he said, brushing past.
He walked down the hall, slender and broad-shouldered. A picture of health and manliness.
“Excuse us.” I turned the words over and over in my head, marveling at the sweetness of his voice. So he shoved me, big deal. It was a gentle shove, wasn’t it? Practically a caress. Yes, he was gently pushing me aside, lovingly. The whole scene was merely a ploy, an excuse to touch me. I know it.
And there are worse ways for a Grand Romance to begin, right? Right? Probably Romeo threw rocks at Juliet’s cat a time or two.
(In reality, Ian had pushed me because he was moving choir risers in the choir room. Those details could have revealed his identity, so I moved the scene to a hallway. Even bloggers can claim a little artistic license.)
The story of seeing Ian for the first time, as later told to my friend Jen:
I walked into the choir room for the first day of those awful three-day University Singers auditions, you remember… Ian was standing with a couple of other bass singers. Wanting to be friendly to the new kid, I gave him a 10,000 megawatt smile. He stared back at me blankly
It was only later I realized that “New Kid” was one of my superiors, the famous Ian the Graduate Assistant whom Dr. Zimmerman had been bragging about for so long…..
Not much of a meeting story, admittedly, but it’s the unembellished truth.
This historic message to Jen reveals more gushy details:
September 6, 2007:
I have a new man to admire: Ian Siddell. I think that’s his last name…. anyway, he’s the Grad Student/ Student Teacher in the Voice Department. He’s got a nice enough face, but his voice is wonderful— deep and rich, with good diction and grammar. I’ve heard him sing French and German now, and his singing and language skills are exquisite…. PLUS he’s very trim and well-built, and he dresses very nicely. He moves like a dancer……. When you see him and talk to him, you get the distinct impression that you’re dealing with Someone Important who is Going Places in Life. I don’t have an actual crush on him, I’m just in love with meeting a… I don’t know, a Man of the Arts, someone who takes his work so seriously and happens to be a gorgeous line of work. Swoon!
And here are a few choice excerpts from another message to Jen:
October 11, 2007:
Ian has been my foremost crush for some time now.
I have choir with him four days a week. This means the crush has to wear off soon, what with familiarity breeding contempt and all.
We’ve had two brief conversations— and both times I managed to be breezy and charming, perfectly natural. I deserve a medal. You know how girls read into things— it’s hard not to think, “He’s seeking me out! He’s TRYING to start conversations! Score!”
It was quite the crush. A small confession: I was so head over heels for this grad assistant, I fell into the habit of walking two laps through the music building every day, hoping to bump into him.
It worked.
But none of that entails “courtship.” Our whirlwind courtship only took three dates—- over the space of three highly emotional days.
Let’s save the actual courtship stories for tomorrow, shall we? It’s Valentine’s Day! Get out there and shower the people you love with love.
Oh how sweet! I was thinking about you two the other day. I heard Battle Hymn of the Republic and remembered the awesome solo you did, and then I was hoping that sometime, you could post a recording of you and Mr. Jaunty singing something.
Miss you old friend!
[Reply]
Oh, there’s nothing better than a man with good diction. When TRS and I were first dating, we were over at a friend’s house who had a bunch of foreign movies. I was pretending to read the backs and making up plots, but then he started doing it for real – in French, German and Russian. Swoon.
P.S. “…what with familiarity breeding contempt and all.” – love it!
[Reply]
Aw, sweet! I’ve never heard the story, ’twas probably a month or so after you started dating that I caught on. It makes me miss you both, his dazzling voice and your brilliant smile. :) I hope you can have a lovely day even though he’s away preparing for the opera.
[Reply]
Ooooh, I LOVE How We Met stories. And I also love Men of the Arts. Swoon indeed! I’m looking forward to hearing how this developed.
[Reply]
Aww, it’s hard not to smile at that!
[Reply]
Lori – All I remember about that solo is that I told Carrie I’d sing it any way she wanted me to, and she said it was my decision as the Artist, and I didn’t feel like an Artist or have any opinion on the matter…
You had front row seats to my courtship, but I missed yours entirely! Remember the summer we wore denim skirts constantly?
Katie – All my life, Mom’s had a tile depicting a lion and lamb together. It says “Familiarity breeds content.” Bad grammar, but I didn’t learn it was really “contempt” until at least high school.
Phoebe – I miss you, too! I keep thinking you’re in NM and that Ian gets to hang out with you… but alas.
Angela – I love ‘em, too. Good for the soul!
Jacob – =)
[Reply]