Unemployed and looking for a temporary place to live an ex-coworker told me that I could stay with him in exchange for housework while I found another job. I didn't like the word housekeeper so at a curbside discussion with one of the neighbors I told her I was a housewife. A big lie, but I wanted to be accepted. The ladies on the block got together for breakfast in a round robin affair and I was invited and I had to host. I made sure that the 'guest' room was totally the 'guest' room cramming everything I owned into a suitcase and placing my toiletries hair dryer and stuff in the master bedroom. Everything went well and I have always liked to host and having a nice big kitchen and dining room made it easy.

My house husband, ex-coworker got cornered by one of the neighbors and he commented to him that he didn't know he had gotten married. He told him the truth, which got back to me via the man's wife, which put me in the world of being a liar and an imposter. I was called out, but I stuck to my story telling them that the reason I had moved in was to be his wife I was definitely not there as a temporary housekeeper. Whether they believed me or not that is the way I lived, I kept going to the breakfast get togethers I kept having my turn at hosting, I kept the 'guest' room game alive and I told stories of how hard it was to be the housewife, always short of money no matter how big my allowance was. All this conflicted with what he said but somehow they believed me and not him.

At a dinner with one of our neighbors the wife and mother of the house asked me when I was planning on starting my family and I answered that I was ready. I looked at him with eyes on fire and he chose to back me up. Back at the house he asked me why if I had moved in permanently he was sleeping alone. That night I got my pillow and I went to his room and got in bed with him. Needless to say he waited about twelve seconds before he got his business done.

I was pregnant with my first child about four months when he took me to Las Vegas to marry me, this was early December. For Christmas cards that year we sent out a picture of me holding my baby belly of seven months by then with his arms around me. They were also wedding confirmations. I had gone from houseguest and housekeeper to housewife and expectant mother in a little over a year. I had just turned 23 when my first son was born. I say first son because I had another one a year later, family meant family, several kids. I had my next two four years later. I am happily married, of course, with four kids and we live in our house on the same block and I continue to host my turn at the breakfast round robin and I am now part of the neighborhood. To the new members of our breakfast club the story does get told of how I moved in, and my answer is well why not.

How did you meet your husband? It is always a great conversation starter and it breaks the ice with women. How did you meet your husband? Let us know.

Dianne