Cathy Bryant – Real life Romance – Part 1 of 3

Shannon here: Wordvessel author, Cathy Bryant shares her real life romance and a chance to win her book, A Path Less Traveled. Comment on any post dated Dec 6 – 10 for a chance to win. Deadline: Dec 11, midnight Central time. Here’s Cathy:

Married To a Wookie

By Cathy Bryant, © 2010

 Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? (If you’ve never watched the movie, Star Wars, I’m sure you’re wondering what in the world a Wookie is. To make it brief, a Wookie is a rather large, hairy animal-slash-person who grunts instead of speaks. Hmm, I’d better not take this analogy too far…)

Since I know you’re all dying to know how I so fortunately chanced upon meeting and wedding a Wookie, I’ll give you all the gory, glorious details.

It started our freshman year in college. My Wookie and I were both music majors and in band together. As is the case in most good romances, these commonalities brought us together. We saw each other throughout the day, shared many of the same classes, and hung out in the same favorite haunts along with the rest of our music major buddies. We even worked together.

For two years, we joked and laughed and studied our way through college. Then, the summer before our junior year, God looked down on us.

In my mind’s eye, I imagine God clamping one hand over His mouth to hide a chuckle, while pointing at us with the other hand. “See that introverted country girl down there—the one who’s so easily embarrassed? And the extroverted Wookie next to her—the city slicker who doesn’t have a filter between his brain and mouth? Watch this. I’m gonna put them together.” (I can almost hear the knee-slapping and laughter reverberating throughout the halls of heaven.)

Anyway, one day during the summer of 1980, I was at work in the college band hall, helping my boss prepare for a summer band trip to Canada that was to begin in a couple of days. I came back from lunch to find a note in my typewriter.

The cryptic message simply read: “Your face—I can’t wait to see it.”

I searched the band hall. No one there. (Big relief, since my over-active imagination had me convinced I was the next victim for a demented stalker.) I sucked in deep breaths to slow my pounding pulse then went back to work.

After running an errand to another building on campus, I returned to my desk to find a second note. The message was the same.

Later that afternoon as I ran yet another errand, this time to the administration building, I ran into Wookie in the hall, and it was then I discovered that he was the one responsible for the notes. (Turns out he’d come in a few days early for the Canada trip.)

Those two little notes caught my attention, though at the time we were both seeing other people. We continued our friendship, but right before we left for Christmas break, I sensed that romance was in the air.

We had gone out to eat with friends before we left for the holidays. Just another friendly meal, EXCEPT that on the way back out to the car, Wookie snatches my hand into his big furry paw and holds it all the way to the car, and then plants a quick, furry kiss on my lips.

Arggh! Kissed by a Wookie! I obsessed the entire Christmas vacation! What kind of a guy…er, Wookie…does that? One minute we’re rocking along as good friends, then out of nowhere, he holds my hand, gives me an all-too-brief kiss, and waves good-bye!?!?

To make a long story short, the Christmas holiday (which seemed to stretch to infinity and beyond) finally ended, and we were once again re-united. Wookie immediately asked me out on a date, and I immediately accepted. On one of those early dates, we were bantering with each other, and I jokingly said, “I’d rather kiss a Wookie.”

Now if you’ve seen Star Wars, you know what comes next. You know the famous reply spoken by Han Solo.

Yep, you guessed it, my Wookie said it and then he did it! He stalked closer, a humorous glint in his eyes as he wrapped one arm around my waist. “I can arrange that.” (STILL remember that kiss!)

A whirlwind romance ensued—weeks chock-full of romantic love letters and thoughtful gifts (all signed with the words: “Love, Your Wookie”). When he asked me to marry him six weeks later, I said “Yes!”

After all, how often does a girl get a proposal of marriage from a Wookie?

About Cathy: Cathy Bryant’s debut novel, Texas Roads, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis contest finalist, and was released in the spring of 2010. The second book in the Miller’s Creek novels, A Path Less Traveled, released in November 2010. A Texas gal since birth, Cathy lives in a century-old Texas farmhouse with her husband and a phobia-ridden cat. Cathy has been married to her Wookie for almost thirty years now. They have two grown sons, a beautiful daughter-in-love, and the world’s cutest grandson.

You can learn more about her and her books at www.CatBryant.com.

Links: Blog, WordVessel (http://WordVessel.blogspot.com )

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/cathy.england.bryant

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CathyBryant

A Path Less Traveled book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VXblI4HgCg

Texas Roads book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA_DMRqCOWg

Purchase Link for Texas Roads: http://amzn.to/9FkB14 (also available in e-book format)

Purchase Link for A Path Less Traveled: http://amzn.to/aDhOVi (also available in e-book format)

Come back Dec 8 for Cathy’s romantic destination, a tour of Mexico Beach, Florida.