Day 8 {A moment}

When Is 20 years old I was engaged to someone who was wrong for me in every way imaginable. I came to realize it wasn't going to work, but I felt so trapped. I felt like my only option at the time was to stay in that relationship. I began working at a restaurant in Madison Square Mall. It was called Mozzarella's American Cafe. I absolutely loved working there, it was fun, the food was great, and I began to feel free for the first time in a long time. I made friends there that I will remain lifelong friends. My friends would ask me to go out with them after work, I would always say no because I knew if I did I would have to deal with fiance jackass.

After working there for about a month a co-worker Jessi and I had worked the lunch shift. Afterwards we walked around the mall and ate lunch in the food court. We had decided to go to Claire's, we were walking up to a corner in the mall. It was then that a police officer walked around the corner. I looked directly at him and gave him the biggest smile possible. I grabbed Jessi by her arm and said oh my gosh Jessi, look at the size of his arms! At that very moment I said ''that man is going to be my husband someday''.

Jessi was quick to tell me how crazy that sounded. I knew how it sounded. I knew nothing about him, other than he was a police officer. Jessi and I continued on to Claire's and we bought several pairs of earrings. All the girls at work were into earrings. We would wear a different pair every day and we would all compare them lol!

Once Jessi and I made our purchase we headed back to the restaurant, because it was almost time for us to start our dinner shift. We walked in the door, and there he was. He was sitting at a table with another police officer named Vince. I smiled at him again as I walked by him on my way to the office. Apparently he had recognized my uniform, and went to the restaurant and was there waiting for me.

I clocked back in and went to check which section I would be working in for the night. He motioned for me to come over to his table. He asked me what my name was so that next time they were there they could ask to be sat in my section. I told him that I was waiting to turn 21 so that I could apply to become a police officer. He was fully supportive of that idea.

He and several other officers work the security detail at the mall on the weekends. So for several weeks on Friday nights they would come in and ask to be sat in my section. Finally two months later he asked me if I would like to have dinner with him.

That night I met him after I got off work. I sat in his police car talking with him. Another police officer came up and was talking with us, his was Officer Daniel Golden. {Three days later Officer Golden was shot and killed responding to a domestic call.} So after work we had dinner together for the very first time at T.G.I. Fridays. It was Friday August 26th, 2005.

I don't believe it was love at first sight, because I didn't love him right away. Deep down inside, somehow some part of me knew that he would be my husband. Eventually I turned 21 and he helped me get a new car for my birthday. I moved in with him and later on applied with two different police departments, and was accepted by both of them. I graduated from the APD reserve program, and was accepted by both APD and HPD to go into the police academy. I  learned that I was pregnant a week before I was to start. Needless to say I didn't go.

He was my knight in shining armor, only he came in a uniform and shiny badge. He rescued me from a bad relationship. He changed my life in the best way possible. Later on we  got married and now we have two babies. So here we are six years later, married with two children. I'm so thankful for having him in my life. They are my world. Sadly the restaurant has closed. I plan on finding one and us going there for my next birthday, I think it would be fun to go try old familiar flavors.