When I was young his dirty hands made me think there was more out there for me, better. I told myself I was too young but that was not the whole truth.

I was not very smart when I was young, intelligent, yes, but smart, not so much and sometimes you pay a very hard price for thinking you know it all at the age of twenty.

Three years together and I was not convinced, mix in some drugs and alcohol and yeah, it was a disaster.

Years later I thought of his dirty hands and all of the things he must be doing, working on cars, getting married and having children. My husband had clean hands and a well paying job, but he was cruel.

I knew years later that I had made a mistake, the measure of a man is not in how clean his hands are, but what is in his soul.

Now I hold his dirty hands with joy, we came back to each other after many, many years apart.

My soulmate.

I remember the first time I set eyes on you,
in a smoky room, a party long ago.

A band was playing in the background.
You came and sat next to me,
and we talked for hours.

Later left the party together,
and my friend was pissed.

“How could you leave with a stranger?” he said.

“But he’s your friend,” I replied.

“Exactly,” My older brother/friend said to me,
and we were inseparable after that.

High school sweethearts, a prom, graduation, and a new car,
love like I had never known before, was all mine.

But I was young and afraid.

Years went by and led us in different directions.

You remember seeing me with a big diamond on my finger,
I remember seeing you with two children, yours but not mine.

Time went on and wasn’t kind to either of us.

But destiny will not be stopped, and it is never late.

A tragedy brought us together again.

My father was gone, you knew how devastated I would be
and so, after so many years, you reached out to me.

Now I hold your hand again through life,
through the best years that we will have at each other’s side.

The road we travel now is not easy,
but we are not apart anymore,
we walk that road together, grateful for each day.

We know, that it could have been so different, and, we are
not looking back on wasted time and wasted years.

Today and every day we are always looking forward, to each day we get to be here, with each other.

I hold your dirty hands with pride, you are the one.