MARCH 18, 2001

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON I WROTE ABOUT OUR THIRD DAY TOGETHER, AND THEN AOL DID SOMETHING, AND IT DISAPPEARED...SO, I'LL TRY AGAOIN.

WE WOKE EARLY IN INDIAN SPRINGS, ON SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2001.  JIMMY AD I ATE BREAKFAST....PANCAKES, AND THEN WITH HIS 2 FRIENDS WE WENT TO LOOK AT THE PROPERTY, ONCE AGAIN.  I DROVE THEM ACROSS THE HIGHWAY TO THE OTHER GAS STATION, AND CONVENIENCE STORE.  THEN WE DROVE AROUND THE TOWN, LOOKING AT WHERE THE PEOPLE LIVED, AND A NEW SCHOOL.  IF YOU BLINKED, YOU WOULD MISS IT...THAT IS HOW SMALL IT IS.......HOWEVER, INDIAN SPRINGS IS AN UP AND COMING PLACE FOR A FEW REASONS........PEOPLE ARE FEELING CONGESTED AND CROWDED IN LAS VEGAS, AND WANT TO MOVE OUT TO UNPOPULATED AREAS.  ANOTHER REASON, IS THAT THE TRUCKS CARRYING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL WILL BE PASSING THROUGH INDIAN SPRINGS ON THEIR WAY TO YUCCA MOUNTAIN, WHICH IS NORTH OF INDIAN SPRINGS, TO DISPOSE OF IT.........THIS IS CURRENTLY A BIG ISSUE IN OUR COUNTRY. NOT ONLY NEVADA.  ALSO, INDIAN SPRINGS BORDERS ON THE MILITARY BASE, AND AREA 51.  AT ANY GIVEN TIME YOU WILL SEE MILITARY MEN IN THE RESTAURANT, AND DURING 911, WE WOULD PASS MILITARY TANKS THAT WERE STANDING GUARD, ON THE HIGHWAY, IN FRONT OF THE BASE.  THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY OF THE MOTEL AND RESTAURANT BORDERS THE MILITARY BASE................AND FOR US, INDIAN SPRINGS IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE ON THIS PLANET,  AS IT IS WHERE WE MET, AND YOU MAY SAY "FELL IN LOVE."

AFTERWARDS, JIMMY AND I WENT WITH THE REAL ESTATE MAN , SAM, FROM SAN FRANCISCO, IN HIS CAR, TO A RESORT AREA CALLED "MOUNT CHARLSTON."  ONE MINUTE YOU ARE IN THE HOT, DRY DESERT...AND IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 100 DEGREES THAT DAY........THE NEXT MINUTE YOU ARE UP IN THE SNOW COVERED MOUNTAINS, IN THE SKI AREA.  SAM LOVES TO SKI IN SWITZERLAND AND ALL OVER EUROPE, SO HE WAS ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN SEEING THE SKI SLOPS.  THEN, DRIVING DOWN, GOING BACK TO INDIAN SPRINGS WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT DAY.......FLOWERS, SPRINGLIKE, FRESH AIR, GREEN TREES AND GRASS.....SO BEAUTIFUL!  JIMMY SAT IN THE FRONT, AND I IN THE BACK SEAT..........JIMMY HELD MY HAND THE ENTIRE WAY, AS HE SWUNG HIS HAND TO ME IN THE BACK SEAT......

ONCE BACK TO INDIAN SPRINGS, THEY HELD A FORMAL BUSINESS MEETING TO WRAP THINGS UP.  WELL, I WASN'T USED TO IT.........I QUIETLY SAT THERE, LISTENING TO EVERYTHING, AS JIMMY WANTED ME TO BE A PART OF EVERYTHING FROM THE START.  WELL, THEY WERE TALKING IN 7 FIGURE TERMS...7, I SAID, NOT 6 FIGURES.......NOW, AS FOR ME, I FIND IT DIFFICULT ADDING 2 PLUS 2...........AS FOR JIMMY, HE IS A MATHAMATICAL WIZARD...SO IT IS EASY FOR HIM TO THINK AND CALCULATE IN 7 FIGURE TERMS.......

AFTER THE MEETING, WE ALL CHECKED OUT OF THE MOTEL....I DROVE JIMMY TO THE AIRPORT...HIS FRIENDS TOOK THE OTHER CARS...........DURING THE RIDE, JIMMY TOLD ME THIS HAD BEEN A VERY WONDERFUL WEEKEND, AND THAT HE WAS IN LOVE WITH ME, AND COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT ME.......HIS TALK TO ME WAS VERY SERIOUS.

WHEN WE ARRIVED, I LEFT HIM OFF.....A KISS, AND HE WAS GONE!........JIMMY DOESN'T LIKE OUR GOOD-BYES TO BE TOO EMOTIONAL.........AND SINCE HE KNOWS I AM AN EMOTIONAAL PERSON, HE TRIES TO CUT IT SHORT, BEFORE I WOULD GET OVERLY EMOTIONAL......

WHEN I GOT HOME, THE PHONE RANG.......IT WAS JIMMY.  "FRAN, THERE IS AN 8 HOUR DELAY.  COME AND STAY WITH ME IN THE AIRPORT."......I WAS GONE IN A FLASH.......McCARREN AIRPORT IS ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE, NEAR THE UNIVERSITY.

I MET HIM AT THE GATE, WITH HIS 2 FRIENDS.  WE WALKED AROUND THE AIRPORT, THEN SAT AND ATE PIZZA...AND LATER WE WENT   TO A COFFEE SHOP FOR LATTE AND CROISSANTS..........THEN WE SAT SIDE BY SIDE, HAND  IN HAND,  SLEEPING ON AND OFF......AT 11 PM JIMMY TOLD ME TO GET UP, AND LEAVE AND GO HOME.  HE ASKED ME TO JUST KEEP WALKING AND TO NOT LOOK BACK AT HIM.....HE COULD NOT STAND ME LOOKING BACK.........I DID JUST AS HE SAID......IN THAT WAY, I DID NOT CRY.  I THINK THESE WERE MY FIRST LESSONS IN LETTING GO OF THE ONE YOU LOVE, AND NOT THINKING ABOUT IT....IN THAT WAY, IF YOU DO NOT THINK, YOU WILL NOT BE SAD.

I WENT  TO SLEEP, AND THE NEXT THING, THE PHONE RANG.  IT WAS JIMMY.  HE HAD ARRIVED IN NEW JERSEY.  "FRAN," HE SAID, "I AM COMING BACK THERE TO MARRY YOU.  I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT YOU.  AND I REALLY REALIZED IT THE MOMENT THE PLANE LEFT THE TARMAC."...........I KNEW IN MY HEART THAT JIMMY WOULD CALL ME WITH THOSE WORDS.........HOWEVER, IT WAS ALL SO SURREAL.........

JIMMY CAME BACK 6 WEEKS LATER.......HE HAD TO FIRST TAKE CARE OF HIS BUSINESS IN JERSEY..HE HAD HIS OWN BAILBONDSMAN OFFICE, ALONG WITH A PARTNER......

HE FLEW BACK APRIL 28, 2001.......THIS TIME WITH 2 OTHER FRIENDS.....LARRY AND STEVE.

THE NEXT DAY, WE WENT TO GET OUR MARRIAGE LICENSE.  I RESTED THAT AFTERNOON, AND EVENING.  THEN, JIMMY WOKE ME UP, AND SAID, "LET'S GO GET MARRIED.".................SO, WE WENT DOWNTOWN, AND GOT MARRIED 11:45 PM, JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT.........THAT WAS HOW JIMMY WANTED IT...HE WANTED AN UNUSUAL TIME.......I WAS HIS FAIRY-TALE PRINCESS, AND HE WAS MY PRINCE........CINDERELLA AT THE BALL!

WE WENT HOME........LARRY AND STEVE WENT TO THE STRIP............JIMMY AND I JUST WANTED TO BE ALONE.....MARRIED AND TOGETHER AT LAST!

THE NEXT DAY, WE ALL DROVE TO PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA........JIMMY HAD COME TO VEGAS WITH A RETURN TICKET IN HIS POCKET TO JERSEY.  HE THOUGHT WE MIGHT HAVE A BI-COASTAL MARRIAGE, FOR A WHILE.  BUT ONCE TOGETHER, HE JUST COULD NOT LEAVE ME......SO, HE STAYED, AND WE WERE ALWAYS TOGETHER......LIKE 24/7...............AND SO, I GUESS YOU ALL KNOW OUR LOVE STORY BY NOW..........THE REST IS HISTORY.........I FELL IN LOVE AND MARRIED A MAN WITH A CRIMINAL HISTORY, WHO HAD TO GO TO PRISON.....AND SO, THAT'S THE STORY!......TRY AS ONE MAY, YOU JUST CANNOT STOP LOVE FROM HAPPENING...AND SUCH IS THE CASE!                      FRAN