A few months after Tim died I had a dream I was on the Oprah show. Clearly I’d spent the hour entertaining her guests with tales from my interesting life. And just as the interview was winding down, collectively the audience let out an “ahhh.”

I turned around, and spread across a large screen, was a full size picture of Tim and me from the day of our wedding. There I was all 17 years, curly hair and buck teeth. The hem of my blue dress rising several inches above my knee. The buttons bulging from the swelling chest of my teen age pregnancy. Tim, so handsome in his coat and fat knotted tie.

Before she opens her mouth, I know the question Oprah’s going to ask. I’ve seen her do it with many celebrities before.

“If you could tell that girl anything, what would you say?”

I soak in the image. Memories of the day flood back. I didn’t want to get married and I didn’t want to marry Tim. I felt trapped. My plan… give birth so the baby could have its father’s name…then move on. But nothing worked out the way I planned. And after nearly forty years with that man, I felt different.

In my dream, I look Oprah in the eye and say,

“I would tell her, ‘You will never know enough about love to ever even think about divorcing that man.’”

And I’m so glad I never did…

Happy Valentine’s day to the love of my life!