Love at first fight.

Ever been instantaneously attracted to someone and shared a moment? The type scene that only happens in movies and you swear the world stops spinning for a nano-second as you stare at each other. That moment is clearly etched in your memory like magic for all eternity. Time stands still. You would hear Aerosmith singing "Crazy for You" if your brain would be able to process any more pleasure. Yeah- that what I'm talking about.

I walk into my tae kwon do class early, the black belt class that is held before my class is still in progress. The work out mat takes up three quarters of the mirror lined large open room. Off to the side is the viewing area seats and locker rooms. I need to walk the entire lengh of the room to change in the ladies locker room in the back. Carrying my equipment bag, I'm dressed in a sun dress, bare foot and swinging my high heels in my hand as I walk as no shoes are aloud past the entry.

I nod hello to those I know and look at the advance black belts class working on their forms as I saunter in. This class is ninety percent male, so being no fool I slow down my stride. When practicing your form, you are to remain oblivious to your surroundings, keeping your concentration on your movements. So I am able to gawk at the sweating black belts bodies unabashed because they will not notice my stares. At this level, your form is a long series of compicated self defense movements, a workout in it's self. You are trying for perfection and strength in your well choreographed form. They are in lines according to rank. The least experienced in the rear, highest ranked person in front right corner, closest to were I am.

In this alpha position is a man I have never seen here before. Where has he been all my life? It is not his placement in the class that catches my eyes, but the energy he eludes from every pour of his being. His movements are full of strength and precision. Tall and broad shouldered, body of the Greek god Zeus. Curly black hair, dark lashed chocolate eyes. Ahhhh. He radiates power and strength in his graceful form.

I stop short when I see him, three feet away from were he is, my mouth slightly open in a little "ooh", as I drop one of my shoes unnoticed by me. Zeus has just completed a high punch in my direction and he does the forbidden eye contact with me, stopping in mid form. You I'm sure felt the earth stop spinning when it happened. The energy of our first shared acknolagement caused tidal waves down under. K2 doesn't see me stop suddenly right in front of him and runs right into my now still butt. Zeus at this point shakes his head a little, breaking eye contact with me, as to clear his mind, and returns to his form, our moment over. KD who has bounced off my back side is now run into by his older brother who didn't see the traffic jam ahead of him that I created. "Mom, look at HIM", yelling my youngest son, pointing at Zeus without manners or shame. The three of us watch, impressed at this amazing man. Finely I bend to retrieve my dropped sandal and hurry and change into my uniform so I can continue to view this phenomenon.

Impressively, Zeus doesn't leave after his class has finished, but stays for the next class that I am in. What stamina. I steal opportunities to watch him from the back of the class, as I am on the low end of the totem pole. After our stretches and warm up maneuvers up and down the gym, it is time to pull on our protective pads and spare. We are to line up in two lines facing each other, lowest rank opposing the highest, so the black belt can teach the peons pointers and watch out for them. Being the lowliest of the low, I am first in line. I see Zeus walk off the mat and thank God he won't see me get my ass kicked. After everyone is lined up appropriately, I see Zeus walking my direction. He didn't leave after all but waited so he could be my partner. IEEE.

K2 is standing beside me in the newbie line and in an awed voice whispers "Woah-oh-oh Mom", knowing I am in for the beating of my life. I have nothing here, I think as we face one another and bow, my stomach and legs trembling. It is common for the higher ranks to not even acknowledge the lesser ranked belts, it's a pecking order thing. At the signal we swing into our fighting stance mode. Zeus flashes me what I consider a somewhat condescending smile. I can't help myself and whisper, "Your going down". Ok I knew better to trash talk someone so out of my league, but in my pervy mind he was, if you know what I mean. I spent more time down on the mat than a dust bunny, but every time I got back up, I taunted him more. "Is that all you got? C'mon don't hold back now", I'd jeer. Was so proud when I did catch him with a good unexpected blow. The bigger they are, the harder I want them.

Next we practice our one-steps on each other. One steps you take turns doing a number of self defense moves on each other, taking the punches and kicks or dishing them out. Found out my best defense is spinning ad whipping with my hair. Zeus boy would actually stop when my ponytail hit him in the face and just close his eyes and breathing in deeply as he smelled my hair. When he at one point bend me completely backwards(I was supposed to go with it and drop to the ground) he had to tell me just to fall- I wasn't playing fair. All's fair in love and tae kwan do. As I'm laying on my back staring up at him, thinking bout how good this boys sweat smells, he does the polite thing and offers me his hand to help me up. As I bounce back up on my feet, he spins me so I am facing the front wall of the mat, my back to all the rest of the people in the room. "You broke the rules", Zeus tells me, "I can send you back to the locker room to change, or you discreetly tighten your belt without turning around". First you never face the front of the room and adjust your uniform because that is a sign of disrespect to the flags that are hanging in the front of the room. I look down and see my belt slipped down on my hips, the inside tie of my top is undone, exposing my lacey red push up bra that is against dress code. In my haste to change so I can eye ball this hottie more, I forgot to change into my white sports bra. Rats there goes any attempt to impress I think as my face turns as red as my undies I am hurrying to cover. I bustle my boys into my jeep and hurry home right after class.

Funny, Zeus starts showing up at the later class after that. If he wasn't able to be my opponent, he would align himself close to were I was practicing. Chiverous man-boy that he is, he would not let any misguilded swings from over zealous fighter come close to me. "Heads up there Munkay Girl", he would say as he would block me from taking a misdirected blow, stepping between me and harms way. He would always position himself in the same angle I was in to be able to see me no matter were he was in the class. If we were not sparing one another, we would do walk by taunting. "Don't be bringing none of that weak stuff round here", would be answered by, "Got a can of whoop ass with your name on it".

He used my boys to get to me. I heard him talking to them once from the girls locker room were I was changing. "Your dad ever come to watch you guys?", he would fish for information from them. "Which school do you go too?" And "Live close by?" was another. He did get good and tell my youngest if he were able to flip him he would take then out for pizza after class. I think Zeus jumped over backwards rather than was forced when K2 flipped him. Best pizza we ever tasted.

The night I turned up at class without my boys who were spending the night at a sleep over, Zeus took my car key out of my coat pocket. After class my car was running. He changed before me and warmed it up for me while I was showering. Sweet thing was waiting to say goodnight and make his move. I politely declined and told him him once again that I was married. He always had a funny good natured comeback when I told him that. "That's ok", he would answer. "I'm a Libra". As I pulled out of the parking lot and watched him in my rearview mirror, I heard Three Doors Down coming from my CD player. "Here Without You" lyrics filled my jeep. He had burned me a copy of his CD and had put it into my stereo when he started my car.

I seen less of Zeus after that, opting for a later class or doing other activities to avoid trouble. Last winter my furnace quit on me. I have a back up natural gas fireplace that would heat my home but I was having trouble figuring out how to light it. I shipped the kids off to relatives, and headed off to Menards for my fix all, duct tape, thinking I could tape an ice pack on my thermostats to trick it into producing more heat. Who do I happen to run into at the store? My hero Zeus. He offers to come to my rescue and I give him directions to my cold house. I stop and pick up the ingredients to finish the catering job I was cooking for the next day.

Toolbox in hand he knocks on my door. I show him were the fireplace is and the basement, were all the electric furnace stuff is. Walking back upstairs the electricity goes out now too.(He had thrown the switch in the fuse box he confessed later). Zeus focuses on the fireplace and has lit before I know it. My ovens are also gas so I light some candles and continue to work on tomorrows party food. I offer Zeus dinner for keeping me from frostbite. He takes is tools out to his car and returns with a guitar. He is entertaining me with his musical talent as I cook. This is starting to read like a cheesy romance novel here I think as I dish us up. Instead of huddling in my kitchen we sit by the fireplace for warmth as we eat. If I wasn't so committed, I would of eaten that spaghetti off his bare torso. A bottle of wine and hours later I am back in the kitchen when things were becoming too intimate for my comfort in the fire light. As I walk back into the living room, he is nowhere in sight. He had to be upstairs so up I go looking for him. There he is, in my bedroom, pulling the covers off my bed. Surprised at his boldness and not being very subtle I ask him what the hell he thinks he is doing. "Munkay Girl, it is too cold for you to sleep up here tonight. I am moving your mattress down by the fireplace so you will be warm." Man. What a guy.

That was the best mattress ride I had in some time. Ok I dropped the mattress on the stairs and we tumbled and slid down it. Good thing I know how to fall.