Saturday night Jerome and I were able to have a date night, thanks to my sister Laci who offered to take the kids skating to a birthday party she was going to in our town.
I was thrilled.
Reason being that it was date night and my turn to pick the movie to see. I have been wanting to see the movie Dear John forever now....before it was even in theaters I was anxious to see it. But being the man he his, Jerome doesn't like to watch "chick flicks" as he puts it. But a girl can only take so much of action/sci-fi movies too. The list of movies we have seen (I would like to put recently, but some of these were shown a LONG time ago....if that gives you any idea how often we get to go to the movies just him and I).... Avatar, G.I. Joe, Iron Man, Spider Man....and well, you get the picture. They were really great movies. I loved them, but I also love getting to snuggle up with the one I love and watch a romantic tear jerker every once in a while too.
We had planned to see it on Valentines Day, and well....he had to work (which is another story in itself).
He was working Saturday as well, so we made the plans, Spencer checked the movie times on the computer for me while I packed Jerome some clothes and got dressed up. I met my sister, gave the kids a kiss and told them to have fun. Then drove to his work, met him and he ran inside to change really quick. We thought we were late for the move which started at 6:15 (we thought), but in between telling the girls to find their shoes and explaining to them at least three times why they couldn't wear a skirt to skate in and to put some jeans on, I guess I misunderstood Spencer's "Mom, it starts at 6:50!" he was yelling to me from the kitchen, for 6:15.
We purchased our tickets and then walked around the mall to pass the time. We didn't have any shopping to do, we just walked hand in hand talking and enjoying having some time together just him and I. It was nice.
We made it to the movie early, which is really good for us. Especially seeing that most of the time we are the ones that most movie goers don't like, the ones that come into the theater late and try to find a seat in the dark, in the middle of the previews that show before the movie. The movie was definitely a romantic tear jerker. More so than what I had expected. Halfway through the movie John, one of the main characters, dresses in a uniform and goes to a place that looks all to familiar.
That was the point.
The point where the first tear filled my eye and ran down my cheek.
The point where I felt my heart sink and my jaw quiver.
The point where I laid my head on Jerome's shoulder and kept the tears all inside.
But not because of the story of the movie, but because just seeing....
Seeing the uniform, the uniform Jerome wore, the dusty desert, and the feeling of a rush of a million emotions come rushing back again.
Jerome leaned over, kissed me on my forehead, squeezed my hand a little tighter and whispered, "I love you" to me.
When the movie was over, he held my hand and we walked out of the theater. Jerome wasn't as talkative as he was before the movie had started. Honestly, he was very quiet. We bundled up and put our coats and scarves on and then walked out to the van. It was a cold night, and had started snowing while we were in the theater. He drove around as we both talked about where to go for dinner. The van was just starting to warm up as we pulled into the parking lot for the restaurant we had decided to go to. We both agreed a salad sounded nice at Ruby Tuesdays.
He turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition. Then he just sat there, quietly for a second. Then he turned to me and started talking. Talking about the movie at first, then about being over there. The snowflakes were falling and landing on the windshield, it was dark, it was cold and he talked. He talked until we could see our breath. He talked and I listened. I listened to things he had never told me about being over there. I listened to him explaining to me what it felt like to him over there. I listened to him telling me about this past drill weekend. I listened to him promise me that it would never be like that again, that I would have support through the Reserve center and that I would never be left alone like that again. And then, I cried. I cried and asked him why he hadn't told me, and he told me he was still trying to process it all himself. The snow was still falling, it was still cold, but in the midst of talking to Jerome, its as if I couldn't feel the cold creeping in. I made him promise to tell me everything, even if he thought it would make me sad or make me cry....I wanted to know. He held my shivering hand and then asked me if I was cold. I laughed and told him I was, and then he laughed and told me he was cold too. We kissed and he told me how much he loves me. Then we both walked into the restaurant, it was warm inside, which was good because we were both freezing.
It was a nice dinner. We didn't talk anymore about what we had talked about in the cold. We laughed together, we ate our dinner and we talked about a lot of things. He told me about a trip he is planning both of us going to. Something that the military has for couples who have been through a deployment, a Returning Warriors program they offer. He talked about some of his fellow friends in the military that had been with their wives and how wonderful it was.
We could see outside the window from the restaurant that the snow was beginning to stick. We finished our dinner and then I called my sister to check on our kids and to let her know that the snow was beginning to stick.
She met us with the kids. Laughing, she told Katie to tell us what she had told her earlier. As Katie walked to the van, she looked at both me and Jerome and with all honesty and sincerity told us that she thinks she broke her leg roller skating. The kids all climbed into the van, I thanked my sister for taking them so that we could go on a date and that we had both enjoyed it tremendously. Jerome turned the heater on high and before we made it home all three kids were asleep in the back seat.
It was a wonderful date night. And I can't help but think that had it not been for that sappy, tear jerker, love story of a movie we may not have had the conversation we did in the cold.
I love my husband dearly. I am proud of him, proud of what he does.....even if it does hurt and pull at my heart strings sometimes.
Dear John Movie Trailer from Season Kent on Vimeo.
