A to Z Challenge Blog 2024 The Letter P

Here we are again. Penny for your thoughts? I’ve rather enjoyed going down memory lane with music to add a touch of pizzazz to my posts this week, and today will be the same. As a romance author, regardless of the subgenre I’m writing, there comes a time when the main characters in the story have to meet their love interests. There has to be something that draws them to one another, something that makes them connect, and something that says he or she’s the one.

It doesn’t always work that way in real life. You know what they say about first impressions … real-life meet-cutes are sometimes ugly. I met my husband in the second week of my first year at university. I was living in residence, in a double room that shared a bathroom. I’d just washed my hair, something more involved in the late sixties than today, and was wearing an oversized quilted housecoat with my hair wrapped in a towel. We had divided up the chores, and it was my day to empty the garbage. I knocked on the connecting door and walked in, not expecting to find anyone there but Dee-Dee, my can-mate.

I can’t say exactly what I felt–embarrassment, confusion, interest, and maybe a little ‘Oh my God, how do I get out of here?’ He had short brown hair and was clean-shaven with gold-rimmed glasses. He wasn’t the jock type, but he had a gorgeous smile. He sat at her desk, wearing jeans, a sweatshirt with Bullshirt printed on it, a university jacket, and loafers. She introduced us while I prayed for the floor to swallow me, and mortified as I was, all I could say was “I’m here for the garbage.” I escaped as quickly as I could. Two weeks later, we would meet again. That time, he would drop a beer bottle on the floor, and I would step on it and get glass embedded in my foot. It would get septic, and I would end up in the residence infirmary for two weeks. Dee-Dee brought him over for a visit, and he apologized. I accepted graciously. What else could I do? It wasn’t as if he’d put me in the hospital on purpose. Two weeks later, he called the room looking for Dee-dee but she was away. I was the only one there, so he asked me if I would like to go to a party. I knew Dee-Dee had her eye on another guy, so I said, why not?

I made sure I looked a lot more polished when he came to get me. At the time, side ponytails were all the rage and I frequently wore one. Back then, I was a standard size 12 with a generous bust. Oh, to be a 12 again! Here I am in a Wonder Woman pose. LOL

It was an interesting evening. We talked, we danced, and we kissed. I met people that night who would go on to be good friends, and the next day when Dee-Dee came back, I told her, “That’s the man I’m going to marry.” Within a few weeks, we became an established couple.

Here we are 8 months later, going to the Spring Ball. We cleaned up nicely. Two years later, we married. The following year we welcomed our first child and we’re still together, going strong. Why? Because we weren’t blinded by physical appearances but let the physical attraction we felt grow into something more.

Today’s letter is P, and it stands for physical attraction. There’s no point in arguing the point. Physical appearances are important, and people, like magpies, are attracted to the best and the brightest. We have been indoctrinated to believe that tall, slender women, usually blonde in my part of the world, are the epitome of beauty, just like tall, muscular men are the ideal. Other aspects vary according to cultural and social norms. Some men are bearded, others aren’t. Some have long hair, others don’t. Some men are inked, others aren’t. But finding the right match shouldn’t be based solely on appearance. That plain guy who saves you a seat in the library could be the one you’re looking for. Lifelong commitment should be based on more than physical appearances or sexual proclivity. People need to get to know one another, develop shared interests, and enjoy each other’s company. If they can’t be friends, they probably shouldn’t be lovers. Time changes everything including appearances.

When you go fruit or vegetable shopping, you’re attracted to the plumpest, tomatoes or strawberries, the whitest cauliflower, the firmest cucumbers, and the bruiseless bananas. In 1924, when someone discovered the Jamaican tangelo, a combination of orange, grapefruit, and tangerine, he named it ugli fruit, and that’s the name it goes by, but the fruit is delicious.

I think it’s time that we as authors get away from the stereotypes and stop using physical attraction as the main focus of our guy meets girl situations. In my latest novel, Marina has two suitors, both almost identical in appearance, and each one stirs something in her, but until she gets to know them, she will never be able to choose between them.

Here are today’s songs for your enjoyment. Olivia Newton John’s video had me laughing out loud.

That’s it for today. Come back tomorrow for the letter Q when it’s all about questions.

Check out blog posts from other participants here: https://tinyurl.com/w54yupwe