My Last First Date: Lost at Howard Johnson’s

I nearly lost my husband at Howard Johnson’s.

We met at a singles event and arranged to get together the following Saturday. As a fledgling reporter, I’d somehow snagged two free passes to Disneyland. They didn’t include the parking and, being young and cheap, we didn’t want to pay to park two cars. So we arranged to meet at a nearby Howard Johnson’s where we could leave one for free.

That was in the days before cell phones, but what’s the big deal with meeting somebody in front of a hotel?

Problem: He assumed we were meeting in front of the restaurant. I assumed in front of the lobby. Or maybe I’ve got that backwards. Anyway, you couldn’t see one place from the other.

I waited. And waited. Even went to a phone booth and called his house, but no one answered.

Was this guy just another unreliable jerk? I honestly didn’t think so. Fortunately, I hung around just a little longer and Kurt, having the same positive expectations about me, decided to take a final swing through the parking lot in his pickup.

Hooray! We were delighted to see each other. And we had a great date. Ate dinner overlooking Pirates of the Caribbean (that was included with the free passes. Otherwise, we’d have dined on hot dogs). Went on the Matterhorn and hollered all the way down.

We’ll celebrate our 29th anniversary in October.

Jackie Diamond Hyman (w/a Jacqueline Diamond) is the award-winning author of more than 75 novels. Her first e-book, Touch Me In the Dark, was released last month by Triskelion Publishing. You can find her at www.jacquelinediamond.com.