Friday, June 05, 2009

Fifteen Years.

fixit and me 1994
1994, posing awkwardly in front of the brand new fence.

When I received the invitation to go on Craft Retreat recently I - of course - said Yes! pretty much straight away without doing anything technical like checking the calendar. It was left to my good friend and fellow Craft Retreater Jenny to point out that I'd be going away from my beloved family on my birthday. Which is okay I think, a little time-out is a nice birthday treat, fair enough. But my birthday is also the anniversary of Fixit and I getting together and it is our 15th (which is divisible by 5 so it must be important - unlike last year when we had a posh dinner because I got my numbers mixed up) so I did feel bad when I realised all this and I asked Fixit whether I should stay home after all. Luckily Fixit was very nice about it and said we could just go for a posh dinner on another night. The upshot of this is that I am celebrating my birthday slightly early (ie today) and to make up for my thoughtlessness I decided to mark our anniversary with the tale of how Fixit and I came to be.

Sixteen years ago I was working at renowned Melbourne ice-cream shop, Charmaine's Icecream. At the time I was in a relationship with a moody English boy but it was limping along - and not just because he lived in Canberra. Long-distance love affairs are difficult enough but there were other problems, chief amongst them the backwash from our disastrous European trip together. Enter Mister Fixit, who started work at Charmaine's in the kitchen, making the icecream. (I was out the front scooping it.) We noticed each other. I was still in a relationship but we chatted, and whenever he walked behind me he would give my ponytail a friendly tug. He told me later he used to admire my arse in a favourite pair of rainbow coloured trousers. It was about this time that I successfully auditioned for the show Stomp! -in its Melbourne Comedy Festival incarnation featuring 30 local performers- and I actually received the call that I'd got into the show when I was at work. I still remember turning around in blissful excitement to see Fixit and another worker smiling curiously at me, wondering what the big news was. Fixit was the first person I told, come to think of it.

Anyway, some days after that I came into work and heard that Fixit would no longer be working at Charmaine's. He had been hit by a car whilst riding his motorbike. A P-plater, on the freeway, had pulled over suddenly, taking out the motorbike and sending Fixit flying at top speed into the metal railing at the side of the road. His leg was so badly broken that his foot was facing the wrong way. We were all deeply shocked, and even though I hadn't known him for very long I decided to visit him in hospital, acting, I now see, on the dormant attraction I'd felt for him. I remember walking into his hospital room, full of concern, and barely noticing the scaffolding protruding from his leg, dazzled as I was by his manly bare chest. I actually went slightly weak at the knees, but Fixit didn't really notice because he was high as a kite on the hospital drugs at that stage.

I didn't see him for ages after that, although he tells me that I nearly knocked him off his crutches when he was hobbling along Brunswick Street months later as I rushed out of work to grab food for my dinner break. After he'd regained his balance he remarked to his friend that he knew that girl but I was long gone by then. In the meantime I called it quits with the moody English boy and got my head together. And six months after that I announced to a co-worker at Charmaines that I was ready to have a boyfriend again. Being as he was a very helpful and older-brotherly type, my co-worker scratched his chin for a bit and then said Hmm what about Mister Fixit? And I, without even bothering to think that hard about it, said Mmm yes, he's nice.

So it was arranged between my co-worker and Fixit's best-friend (the Bike Nazi, who had also worked at Charmaine's) that Fixit would be invited as the Bike Nazi's guest to the Charmaine's Staff Party, which as it happened was being held on my birthday. Now, I knew about the set-up but the Bike Nazi had seen fit only to say there is this girl, but not which one to Mister Fixit. So I was at my MOST charming, and he was sitting there happily chatting to me as one of the few people he actually knew whilst simultaneously wondering who the mystery girl was and keeping an eye out for her. For quite a long time, actually. But finally my charm offensive began to take effect and he told me later that what went through his head was : I don't care about whoever this set-up is, I'm quite happy where I am.

And that was when the penny finally dropped. D'oh.

We hung out together for the rest of the evening and as we both left he held my hand and asked for my phone number. I think our first date was 3 nights later.

(I achieved almost legendary status at Charmaine's amongst the girl-staff meanwhile for my work that evening, and some of them started asking my advice on How To Get A Man. True story.)

Last year we walked past Charmaine's Icecream on Brunswick Street where it all started, only to see it had shut down. But me and Mister Fixit, we're still going strong, even if I do desert him on our special day.

Happy Anniversary xx


fixit & me lucinda's wedding 94
1994, a friend's wedding. Fixit looks SO young!!

28 comments:

  1. OMG, that story was just *adorable*.
    As are the two of you.

    Lovebugs.

    Enjoy the crafty weekend - I think you know you deserve it, and Fixit is divine to arrange the date night for when you get back.

    Divine.

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  2. sigh...

    He looks so protective of you in both photos. Hope you have many, many, many more years together,

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  3. You both look so young. But I guess that is to be expected, after all, you are only 29 (again).

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  4. I meant to say congratulations as well but the computer went all weird on me.

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  5. Phwoar! RicRac was right! He's gorgeous!!!!!! (enough exclamation marks, do you think?)

    Have a fabulous birthdaycrafty weekend away :-)

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  6. That's a great story, so sweet. Happy Anniversary, Happy Birthday, Happy Weekend!

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  7. Glad I wasn't the first to say phwoar!

    You both look so sweet.

    I loved reading your how-we-got-it-together story.

    Happy happy birthday! And a super anniversary too!

    Carolyn

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  8. Perfect story, you can't fight those simmering attractions.

    Happy Anniverary and have a great craft weekend

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  9. Happy birthday! Happy anniversary!

    Your blog never lets me comment, I am tragically booted every time I hit publish. But back to you, the icecream shop is a fabulous place to meet one's partner. Personally, I'm just impressed that you remember meeting your partner. I don't, which is fair, because he doesn't remember either.

    x k

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  10. Gorgeous! Both of you, and the story!

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  11. I love the part where you went all weak in the knees... :) Such a fabulous story!! Happy birthday and anniversary!!

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  12. THAT is one heck of a story. Romance, broken bones, a set-up AND ice cream?! Brilliant. Happy Birthday/Anniversary. Hope it is wonderful.

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  13. Oh, so romantic! Clearly you were meant for one another, you gorgeous couple, you!

    Happy, happy birthday to you and a very happy anniversary to you and the dreamy Mr. Fixit!

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  14. Congratulations to both of you. You look the perfect couple. I agree with others too, he is gorgeous!

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  15. Happy birthday and happy anniversary. Have a fabulous weekend. I am so glad you broke up with the Moody English Boy (and glad I did not have him as our marriage celebrant).

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  16. Happy Birthday. Happy Anniversary to you both.

    Enjoy a celebratory weekend for all your special occasions!

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  17. Little thingy for you on my site: http://tinyurl.com/ootr4g

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  18. Love it!

    Happy B-day and anniversary.

    My guy has a similar motorbike story, though I wasn't yet part of his life, that oughta set the boys straight before they think of hopping on one too soon. Pins and scars up and down the legs should be enough to scare them.

    Glad your fixit was O.K. and that you got rid of the English bloke!

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  19. congratulations! and happy birthday! what a lovely story.

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  20. Aww, what a great tale of wuv! Congrats and happy birthday too :)

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  21. I have to admit to a tear in my eye... it must be those motherly hormones! Congratulations!

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  22. Congratulations on everything! Yes, everything!

    Although Fixit does look younger in the early photos, I am quite disgusted that you don't! You look the same as you do now!

    I'm jealous.

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  23. That last photo?

    is Pure Climber.

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  24. Happy Birthday! and Happy Anniversary! You have not aged one little bit. You are amazing. All that tap-dancing one thinks.

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  25. Congratulations on making it to your 15 year anniversary, still in love and making it work.

    And Happy Birthday to you!

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  26. Yes, congratulations to you both.

    And happy birthday!

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  27. What a hot couple you are. You both look gorgeous and much congrats on the 15 years!

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  28. Happy Anniversary, I just loved that story!! You are my favourite Celebrity Couple :)

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Don't let the cat get your tongue.