The story of how Ben and Megan met is a unique and special one that includes old friends, a high school homecoming football game and a slide projector. On November 7, 2008 Megan walked up the stadium stairs at Bakersfield High School where she had graduated 10 years earlier. She was meeting a small group of her classmates who wanted to attend the homecoming football game which was the same weekend as their 10 year high school reunion. Sitting quietly and wondering to himself who she was and why she looked so familiar to him, Ben watched her without blinking. As soon as he heard someone say her name he realized who she was and from that moment on she consumed his thoughts. He listened as she laughed with her friends and watched her as she went down in front of everyone and lead the audience in cheers and yelled with more spirit and spunk than the 16 year-old cheerleaders. Her smile, her eyes, her style and class was intoxicating. She was perfect. He thought to himself, "I need a girl like that". As the game ended, and people started to leave, Megan stopped in front of him because she saw two of her friends who she had not said hello to yet, as she stood there talking to them, she could not help but notice the big brown eyed handsome guy who was sitting directly behind her friends. He was staring at her intensely and as soon as she looked at him, she felt something inside herself jump. She smiled and he just looked at her with those eyes that could melt the polar ice caps! Without blinking, she smiled and invited them all to come out with her and her friends. As she walked away she thought to herself how incredibly gorgeous her fellow Driller was and hoped he would show up later that night. Some people believe in love at first sight, and some say that it is just a saying. A simple romantic idealistic way to explain an attraction that two people feel for one another. But after that football game, both this boy and this girl had experienced love at first sight.
Later that night, Ben showed up at BJ's with some friends and met up with Megan and her friends. They talked at the bar for a long time and when Megan left to meet her other friends at a dance club down the street, she invited Ben to join them. He did. And although he didn't get much time at the club to talk to her, he was never far away and in every picture Megan took that night, you can see Ben in the background! She kept looking at him and smiling, wanting to get close to him, but was busy dancing and talking to all her old high school friends. The club closed at 2am and Megan was making the rounds and saying goodbye to everyone and giving hugs. She got to Ben and she said good night, and how it was nice to meet him and then she hugged him... and hugged him...and hugged him! It was an unintentionally long hug. That night Ben could not sleep. He could not get Megan out of his mind.
The next night was the actual reunion for The Class of 1998 of Bakersfield High School and Megan was in charge of setting up the slide show projector but was having technical difficulties. Her eyes scanned the room for some prompt assistance and they fell upon a tall dark and handsome familiar face. Ben messed around with it for a minute or so, and realized that Megan had not connected the cable. Once he found the problem and got it working, Megan gave him another hug and told him, "Technology and I just don't get along, I was almost in tears! Thank you Ben, you're a life saver". It was only later, after they had been dating a while that he confessed that all he did was connect the cable. At the reunion that night, they talked, danced and laughed all night long with their friends. There were these beautiful moments between them that felt more real to Megan than anything she had ever experienced on any date or in any relationship. Later that night, a group of the class of 1998 returned to the dance club they had been at the night before, only this time, Megan and Ben were inseparable. There was a moment out on the dance floor, when they sort of stopped dancing and were just looking deep into each others eyes. They both knew that something was happening, something bigger than anything they had ever felt before. Around 2:30am, Ben walked Megan to her car and gave her a quick kiss good night. As she drove away, her friend Suzy said, " You need a guy like that". " I know", Megan said, "I really do. But it's not that easy, guys like are hard to find". She dared not say what she was secretly wishing in her heart; that this guy was the one she'd been searching for.
The next morning Megan invited a bunch of her friends out for coffee (because Jason McGee wanted to go out to coffee with everyone!) and only 2 people showed up: Erica Florez and Ben. Erica left after an hour or so and Megan and Ben had their first pseudo-date. That day, Megan drove north to San Francisco and Ben drove south to San Diego. After endless hours on the phone, pages of Blackberry text conversations and long weekend visits twice or more a month, and they were so in love, they couldn't imagine life without the other. |