Electric Hands · 12 September 2009
My wife, The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi, and I started teaching at Cedarcrest High School in 1995. We met on the new teacher orientation day along with five other teachers new to the high school and several others new to the district. (I know it is corny, but we call ourselves high school sweethearts since we met and got to know each other in a high school.) It was not necessarily love at first sight and no sparks flew when we first met or even later when passed each other in the halls. As a matter of fact, the tale of our first meeting is really rather boring. But like a good fish story, the tale of our first meeting has grown into something magical.
From my perspective, our first meeting was really a story of rejection. Like most normal single men, I checked out the usual suspects at the new teacher orientation. Even though I had already sworn off women after being rejected the last time. I figured that I would be just fine as a permanent bachelor. Still, out of habit and against the better judgment of not dating co-workers, I looked around the room to see who the single women were. Of course, they were all cute.
We had another day of orientation and then, like every year, the entire district staff met in the high school auditorium to hear a state of the district address and get other district business done. It was the third day for us newbies and the seven new high school teachers were getting seated in the back row. A few of us were already seated and the seat next to me was open. Even though it was not the proper way to get there, The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi (she was even mindboggling then but not yet Mrs. Miyoshi) climbed over the seats to sit next to me. I offered her my hand to help her in her effort but she refused. I took this refusal as a sign of rejection and never really gave dating her another thought.
When we finally did start dating and I got to know her better, The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi told me why she refused my helping hand that day.
From her perspective, there was no rejection. In fact, her main feeling was fear. My hand was dangerous. It was potentially electric. One touch and “Zap!” Lights would flash and stars would shine. She refused my helping hand that day in the auditorium not because she was being tough and independent climbing over the seat back (something I would not encourage anybody to do) but because she did not want to feel that electric charge go through her body and sap all her strength. She seemingly rejected me because she was afraid of what might happen if I came into her life.
Needless to say, lights did flash and stars did shine when The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi finally held my hand. We have been holding hands ever since. And although I may not truly have electric hands, we have had electricity and excitement in our 13 years of marriage. Most of it the good kind.
© 2009 Michael T. Miyoshi
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That was an awsome story!
— Sarah Thomas · 20 September 2009, 09:39 ·