T&T

Tara’s Version: Orca and I were headed home from Nebraska. We had a layover in Vegas and were finally boarded on the last flight. I always sit by the window when I travel with Orca so I can sneak him out of his bag, but I also get a little anxious about who might sit next to us—some people don’t like dogs. I waited to see who would join us. Todd’s Version: I was heading home from a guys’ golf trip in Vegas. My brother stopped at a row, and I slid into the middle seat next to this woman with her dog. She was wearing a mask, but I noticed she had beautiful eyes. She was also very kind and cordial. This was during COVID, and it was unusual to meet someone so friendly. I thought it was sweet that she was still nice when so many weren’t. I started wondering if she lived in Portland, so I worked up the nerve to ask her. When she said yes, I thought maybe we could meet up outside that airplane and get to know each other better. Tara’s Version: Two guys sat in the row. They seemed nice when I warned them I had a dog. I also noticed the guy next to me was wearing red tennis shoes, and I thought, "Bold. I love it." That was about all I thought about the masked stranger. Once the flight was underway, the red shoes guy was nice—he offered me his Southwest snack. I guess he noticed me and Orca scarfing ours down (I was actually a little embarrassed). After snacks, I fell asleep—only to feel a nudge on my arm. My first thought was, “This man can see I’m sleeping. WHY is he waking me up?” I opened my eyes to see him shoving his phone over to me. Confused, I looked at the screen. It said something like, “I don’t normally do this but…” and there were other words I don’t exactly remember, but it all led to him asking for my number. Todd’s Version: I couldn’t really talk to Tara because it was COVID and we were in masks, so I just typed a few things on my phone and handed it to her. I wondered if she might be open to a date once we were back in Portland, so I asked for her number. Of course, she typed, “I don’t even know you” and handed the phone back. Tara’s Version: All I could think was, “What is happening? Am I being punked? Why is this man passing notes on his phone like we’re 12? And does he really think I’m just going to give a stranger my number? I don’t even know what he looks like under that mask!” I didn’t want to be rude, so I typed back something like, “I don’t even know you. Can you at least tell me something about yourself if you expect me to give you my number? Like, what’s your name? How old are you? What do you like to do? Are you married? And you don’t even know my name yet.” Todd’s Version: I wasn’t sure what to write to show her I was a normal person. I answered all her questions and asked her name. We went back and forth for a while. As the plane began to descend, I started getting nervous she wouldn’t give me her number. Tara’s Version: We passed the phone back and forth, asking questions and sharing answers. I eventually asked why he was talking to me through his phone. He explained that his brother was next to him (even though he’d been fast asleep the entire flight, snoring off and on), and Todd didn’t want him to overhear. That actually made sense and put me at ease. He seemed nice enough—but in that mask I had no idea what he looked like. BUT the red shoes impressed me. It takes a certain type to rock bright red shoes. Even though I usually don’t give my number out, I thought, “What the heck,” and gave the red shoes man my number. It was a late flight, so it was well after midnight when I got home. Todd texted to make sure I got home safely (I was impressed). The next day we started texting. I asked him to send me a picture so I could see his face and make sure he had teeth. He had teeth AND was cute! And as we text and got to know each other, he was funny and genuine. We had our first date a few days later. He's been stuck with me ever since then.

Tara: I love that Todd is laid back and super chill. He helps me ease up and and just relax. But sometimes I really hate that Todd is so laid back. He can be too chill and nonchalant and it drives me nuts. (The only time I see Todd get amped up is when he is playing cards with his family or arguing about sports. He gets very loud and rowdy) Todd: I love that Tara is multitasker like job, family, and handling multiple things at once. On the other hand, she's a busy body with a short attention span. We focus on one thing for a day or two and then it's on to the next thing. She has a lot of things going on at once and it's always changing.