Orange Bliss

You never forget your first love, especially if you were three. It all started like this... “We must finish our plans for the wedding. We need to get my orange dress and your orange tuxedo and pick out all of the orange tulips.” Ah, what imagination Chad and I had as three-year-olds planning our big orange wedding. From the day we first met in Mrs. Bass’s class at Little Folks Day School at Park Cities Baptist, or as I liked to call it “shopping cart Baptist” because it was next to the Tom Thumb, we were inseparable.

My parents often regale us with stories of Chad and my big orange wedding plans when we are together just to spite us. Everyday in Mrs. Bass’s class, Chad and I would sit on the rainbow mat and make detailed sketches of every aspect of the wedding- from the orange dress and tux to the orange carpet and limo. School of course came second to our extraordinary plans and we both weren’t afraid to let that be known.

As our constant distraction from the class grew and our focus on our “orange utopia” prevailed, Mrs. Bass became more and more impatient. Finally, one day, Mrs. Bass gave us our final warning that if we did not spend some time apart and refrain from our wedding plans and rehearsals then we would be permanently separated. Of course, we were basking in our own “orange world” and were much to “in love” to listen.

The next day after calling our parents, another faculty member came for reinforcement and physically carried Chad out of the classroom to be placed in another class. My cries, I’m sure, could be heard throughout the day school as I attempted to run after Chad with my arms wide open, like in a scene from The Notebook. Alas, my hysterical pleas to be reunited with the three-year-old love of my life fell upon deaf ears, but dreams of our idyllic orange wedding continued until at the advanced age of seven, the absurdity of our prospective orange wedding set in. It was then that we realized that lime green was definitely a more elegant way to go.