True Love Is Worth the Wait

Tom, meanwhile, was beat after working hard all day on a large HVAC installation in downtown Austin. He wanted to go home and kick up his feet, but his friends Raad, Rachel, Joe and Svetlana were waiting for him in the Skylark Lounge, where his friend Ezra was doing a piano gig. When he called to beg off, they insisted he at least stop in, and he decided he had to go.

When Tom arrived, he immediately noticed a very attractive woman in a black dress sitting at the bar and playing a game on her phone. Without even thinking about it, he grinned at her and walked up beside her to order himself a drink. “Nice smile,” Valerie thought, and she allowed her eyes to meet those of the tall, good-looking man.

The piano played on almost unnoticed as the two struck up a conversation. Then Tom showed Valerie how to play Letterpress on her phone, and a lively competition began.

After four absolutely wonderful dates, Valerie found herself with a full-blown case of cold feet. To Tom’s great surprise, she said she was sorry, but they would not be seeing each other again.

Tom reached out a few times, but Valerie maintained her resolve. Tom gave up and stopped calling, but they kept on playing Letterpress.

They met for drinks and quickly found that the magic was still there. In fact, it was stronger than ever, and almost before they knew it, they were deeply committed to each other.

Within three months, they had met each other’s families. Then they embarked on a week-long road trip to Albuquerque, Carlsbad Caverns, and Big Bend with Tom’s six-year-old daughter Kyra, camping and staying with Tom’s old friend Art and his family of five.

Tragically, Tom’s dear friend Rachel was killed in a car crash soon after that. As they grieved for her, Valerie and Tom were poignantly aware that absent Rachel urging Tom to show up, they would never had met at the Skylark Lounge.

Within six months, on September 16, 2016, with the informed consent of Valerie’s parents, Tom proposed to Valerie. She ecstatically accepted.

After seven months, Tom and Valerie finally had a fight. Happily, it ended both quickly and cleanly. Neither one can even remember what it was about.

If the construction schedule holds, they will close on and start moving into a brand new town home in Round Rock at the end of February.

On March 12, Valerie and Tom will become husband and wife.

They will continue to play Letterpress.

Although Valerie earned her BFA in Fashion Design at the University of North Texas in 1992, she ended up owning her own bookkeeping business in Austin, where she has lived since 1994.

Valerie's parents, Tom and Fran, recently relocated from Victoria back to their hometown of Hallettsville. There, after her father’s hard-fought WIN against cancer in 2015, they are able to savor life daily on a beautiful piece of land.

After attending Austin Community College for several years without being attracted to a particular course of study,Tom discovered his passion and talent for the HVAC and electrical trades. For the past fourteen years he has specialized in critical systems infrastructure operations for major data centers including those of Dell, Home Depot, and ERCOT. He is employed by Johnson Controls, Inc. and is pursuing credentialing as a Facility Management Professional through the IFMA.