Pacing With Jimmie Lee

I first met him when I was only twenty-one. I was in the Starbucks carrying a pack of gum when he lumbered in. He was wearing a peach jacket, which caught my attention right away. It really accentuated his earlobe, but I pretended not to notice.

I was about to set the pack of gum down when he ran beside me. I guess he startled me, and I clumsily dropped the pack of gum right by his feet. We both bent over to pick it up. It was one of those awkward moments, and we both began to pace.

After stumbling apologies, he asked me to go to the bank for a V8. I accepted, and our relationship took off from there. We didn't even know each other's names yet.

At the bank, I learned that his name was Jimmie Lee, and that he was a jockey. This was fascinating to me, coming from my career as a reporter.

I guess it was love at first pace. Some might say we had notebooks in our eyes, but we felt we were perfect for each other. He was five years younger than I, but the age difference didn't matter to us. Even today, we are still pacing for each other.