Wintersong's Story

Well, it all started at a small corner of the web called Talk City where they host an online game called Ridiculist. Basically, this involves typing answers like a maniac as soon as a topic is generated (for example, the topic might be "Crayola Colours" or "People Mentioned In The Billy Joel Song 'We Didn't Start The Fire'")

Now, to the uninitiated, this may not seem like much fun, but believe me it's remarkably addictive! The people who frequent ridic are, on the whole, fun loving, smart, caring and friendly. There is time between rounds to chat, and the conversation can usually be guaranteed to be amusing, flirtatious and intelligent. This is where the nicknames Wintersong and Prez_Calvin came from - the nics we are known by in Talk City!

Self confessed ridic-oholics play in the tournament games - a chance to pit your wits against some of the best players around, while generating a brilliant sense of camaraderie amongst the teammates. When I joined the tourney, the first session was already underway. I was a late starter, as I had been waiting for school holidays to come around so that I could stay up late enough to play without having to worry about work the next day (yes, I'm a teacher!). I was placed in an opening on Team 6, "Presidential Sweets" and I will remain ever grateful to a player with the nic "pregNANCY" who had just been booted from the team for apparently being extremely unpleasant - I never did get all the details!

The captain of the team was a funny, smart guy known as "Prez_Calvin" and right from the beginning I knew I liked him. We were on the same wavelength and laughed at each other's jokes. You know the score! Communication at this point was limited to time in the room and team e-mails, but I already had a bit of a crush developing, particularly when the tournament organisers made a new website with a players' photogallery! Man, this guy was cute :)

So, I know what you're thinking - how did the relationship move forward? Well, to cut a long story kinda short, there was an uproar in the tourney camp which was started by one player "pissing" on another (in the virtual sense of course) during the excitement of the game. Complaints were made, and a ban was placed on all talk of bodily fluids during the tourney games. Now this didn't please The Sweets, as our team mascot, known as PersuadableDawn, went in the guise of a cow, and had been known to squirt milk from her voluptuous teats during gameplay. All in fun, of course, but now banned for good...

Dawn and I used to chat on msnm, and we decided that people were taking it all way too seriously. How could we lighten them up? I came up with the persona of "The Scarlet Cowpernel" and went round the tournament message board, leaving random messages and graphics behind me, hoping against hope that people would at least be able to have a laugh over the whole incident and then get back to the business of winning tournament games! Most people without a sense of humour bypass managed to do just that (although there were still a few who got their knickers in a twist over it). Of the people who took it as it had been meant - in a lighthearted way - two were friends of Dawn's; Lainer and (you guessed it) Prez! Lainer was the moderator of the message board and had worked out who The Scarlet Cowpernel was from my IP address. She shared this with Dawn and Prez during a 3-way msnm conversation, which I was privy to as Dawn was copying it across to a private window with me! I still remember Prez saying "We must get her on msnm!"

Well, this was the beginning of the rest of my life! I started chatting to Prez on a fairly regular basis, and we continued playing tourney games until the end of the session, at which point many of The Sweets decided that they had had enough with the way the tournament was being run and left the team. Prez had other reasons, including a cross-state move, but he also left the tournament. I was placed onto a new team - The Crazy 8's (who include some of the nicest people I have ever met) and carried on playing in the tournament, though I missed my old teammates and Prez in particular. Games never were the same after that, though I would still catch up with him on msnm whenever we were both online at the same time. I used to love seeing the words "Prez_Calvin has just signed in" appearing on my computer screen.

Many months passed, and our relationship might never have moved onto another level were it not for a fortuitous event in my life. In February of this year, I went to South Carolina on a business visit. I was so excited, never having been to The States before, and was telling everyone about my forthcoming trip. Prez gave me his phone number, suggesting that I take the opportunity while in the same country to give him a ring. I arrived in SC on a Saturday night and one of the things I was most looking forward to was speaking to him in person! I managed to make myself wait until the Monday before I called him, not wishing to appear too forward. I remember apologising for being a little drunk during our conversation, but he can't have minded that much as he called me back on the Wednesday night. We both enjoyed chatting to each other, and the phone calls continued after I returned home. Before long, we had decided that I would make a return trip to the USA, to spend some time with him. Even up to this point, we weren't thinking anything romantic - how could it possibly work out, with us living on different continents? However, it wasn't long before the phone calls were becoming more and more regular and longer and longer. I knew I was falling for this guy, I just had to meet him to confirm it.

I arrived at the airport on April 6th 2004. The rest is history!

Prez_Calvin's Story

Winter has described how we first met each other and cemented our friendship quite nicely above. She's right; up until two or three weeks before she came to California, I don't think either of us entertained any romantic thoughts simply because of the impracticality of it all. But as I started speaking to her on the phone more regularly, getting to know her better and more intimately with each conversation, I found myself falling in love with this wonderful woman. The fact that we got along fabulously, understood each other very well, and were on the same wavelength in terms of our sense of humour was established long before. When I added my romantic feelings for her into this mix, I couldn't think of a more perfect person I would want to be with. The last week or so before she came over, she was on my mind every waking moment, playing the principal role in my ever increasing number of daydreams.

Winter's flight arrived at San Francisco International at around 9 p.m. on April 6th, 2004. I was at the airport waiting for her, feeling a little nervous, not knowing if we would indeed share that physical spark and chemistry that would be the final confirmation that we both needed. I saw her from afar, wearing creamy embroidered trousers and a dark brown ribbed cardigan over a light brown top, and she looked beautiful, despite having just completed a 21 hr journey which included a frantic tyre changing operation. We hugged for a long time, and any awkwardness that I thought might have existed between us given that we were meeting for the first time, disappeared before it even had a chance to form. It felt like we were old lovers reuniting :)

The ensuing ten days were the best ten days of my life, spent with the woman I am convinced I want to spend the rest of my life with. It was heavenly, it was blissful, it was intense, it was sweet and if you think I am exaggerating, let me assure you that words cannot even begin to express the feelings that we went through, delirious and ecstasic for having found one another. I will write a brief summary of our lovely holiday below.

The first two days Winter explored San Francisco on her own because I had to work. I met her in the city after work in the evenings. Every second that we spent together was special, but an extra special moment was when we drove to the lookout point beyond the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday night. Looking down into the cold bay and the glittering city lights beyond the bridge, hugging Winter and holding her hands, I remember feeling so peaceful and contented that I could have stood there with her forever. This lookout point will always have a special place in our hearts.

We spent the day on Friday visiting wineries in beautiful Napa Valley, before heading towards Yosemite in the evening. The Yosemite Bug Hostel at Mariposa, where we spent two nights is another special place for Winter and me. I don't think we will consider staying anyplace else during forthcoming trips to Yosemite. Listening to soft music in harmonious surroundings, drinking wine, and loving each other tenderly, we stayed up till the early hours of the morning. Actually we did that on all of the nights, and if the whole holiday was a magical rollercoaster ride, the late nights spent together in each other's arms were when we reached the climactic dizzying heights.

We hiked up the mist trail on Saturday, reaching the top of Vernal falls in a little under two hours. I remember sitting there, slightly tired, with Winter resting on my chest, stroking her hair and telling her how much I loved her. There were a lot of other people up there with us, but we didn't see anyone else - we only had eyes for each other.

We drove to Vegas the next day, and it took us all day to get there. There were many long drives during her visit, and in a way, they were the best part. Very rarely did I drive with both hands on the wheel, because my one hand was either in hers or stroking her hair. Vegas was as Sin city usually is, the glitz and the glamour and the fakeness of it all making a very loud statement. We at least made up for our stay at The Luxor by winning back our hotel room costs playing craps!

The last three days we spent closer to home, visiting Monterey and Carmel one day, and Alcatraz during one of the other days. Our hearts were growing heavier as Friday drew closer, because separation loomed in front of us. But our hearts were also filled with happiness, because we knew that we had found our soulmates, we knew we were going to be together as soon as practicality permitted it.

Yes, I miss Winter like crazy now. I think of her all the time and sometimes the pain of not having her next to me is too difficult to digest. But that day is near, every passing day brings it closer, when we shall begin a new chapter together, filled with excitement, fun, joy, love and laughter! Soon!

Winter and Prez, Prez and Winter, soulmates, lovers, best friends. I have found meaning in my life :)