me & mountain man

Late-August 1984, Joanna is 28 years old, living in Wilmington, NC. She's got a sorry job, even sorrier boyfriend, and her car, a Chevy Chevette, is falling apart. She gets a phone call. Somehow through the new James Bond movie, ICEBREAKER, she has won a new silver SAAB Turbo. She picks up the new shiny car, a few days go by, and sorry-ass boyfriend picks a fight with her so he has an excuse to leave the house and go drinking and screwing around.

Joanna sits sulking and feeling sorry for herself, until she realizes Sorry is not a positive force in her life, never will be, and she deserves much better. She decides to make a new start and begins packing her new shiny car. Apparently a neighbor calls Sorry and tells him that a bunch of his stuff is laying out in his front yard because Sorry arrives back home screeching tires, there is a loud verbal altercation, then in a few minutes, Joanna places HER dog in the front seat, screeches tires out of the driveway in her new shiny car. She feels strong and empowered, like Joanna BOND, until after several hours of driving in the worst lightning storm Joanna could ever imagine. Exhausted, she and dog arrive at vacant house in Raleigh, NC and spend the night on the floor. Parents have previously sold house and moved to Boone, NC to semi-retire, new owners haven't moved in yet.

Next morning is just glorious, skies are Carolina Blue, Joanna feels great, ready for a new start, and she and dog head for Boone in new shiny car. As the SAAB, starts climbing the Appalachian mountains, Joanna becomes euphoric with the feeling she's arriving "home."

Labor Day Weekend 1984, Joanna and her mother didn't know anyone in town, they go to the local duplicate bridge club at Appalachian State University and sit down at a table. A large suspender-wearing, tobacco-chewing mountain man walks through the door, he has a big dark beard, is wearing a muscle Tshirt with the suspenders, and Joanna wonders what cave he has crawled out of, mountain man is wearing black shoes with white socks, and he sits down between Joanna and her mother and starts talking like he has known them all their lives, Joanna is thinking he is the biggest hillbilly redneck she's ever imagined, her mother however really seems to be enjoying the company of the man. Joanna with eyebrows raised, stares down at her mother, and is perplexed.

March 1990, at a friends home, on top of a Blue-Ridge mountain, by a suspender-wearing, tobacco-chewing preacher, Joanna and Mountain Man wed. They go to Gatlinburg, TN on their honeymoon and play in a bridge tournament, they have a strong partnership and Mountain Man attains Life Master.

December 1992, Joanna's mother's breast cancer spreads to her liver and she dies. Joanna and Mountain Man are very sad for a long time. Joanna's mother and Mountain Man hit it off from the start, her mother loved Mountain Man like a son and he loved her like a best friend.

January 2010, Joanna has never seen a James Bond movie, not even ICEBREAKER, and she and mountain man are living happily ever after in Boone,NC, up on 30 acres in a 5th-wheel camper along with goats, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, and dogs.