Once upon a time, there was a fairly average, run-of-the-mill maid named Laura. She grew up in a poor section of a city where she played on the sidewalk and wore hand-me-downs from friends that said “That looked better on me than it does on you.”

One day, her family moved to the country where Laura was introduced to trees and grass. She became a tomboy because boys had so much more fun than girls. Laura climbed trees, rode mini-bikes and raced the boys in her bare feet. Blue jeans were her clothing of choice and everything she owned was made of denim, even her shoes, should she decide to wear them.

At some point, in middle school, Laura suddenly discovered boys… and chocolate. The boys, however, didn’t know Laura existed, so chocolate became her best friend. The boys were still unconscious when she got to high school. Laura began to do things like brush her hair more than once a day. She started to wear shoes and let the boys win a race now and then. She still wore hand-me-downs but they were from people who didn’t know her.

The boys remained comatose.

Laura thought, “What do I have to do?” She thought about hanging a neon sign around her neck that said: This is a Girl! How silly.

Then one day in 11th grade, while working at her first job, a boy – an actual boy – came to talk to her! She wasn’t even wearing her neon sign! He put his arm around her and she felt safe and happy… like she didn’t need chocolate that day. Amazingly, this boy, who was definitely not unconscious, came to talk to Laura every day. They shared their hopes, their dreams and their chocolate.

Laura was awed by this guy. He didn’t seem to care what she wore or whether she went barefoot. He made it clear that he would love her whether she brushed her hair or shaved it all off. He was proud of the fact that she could win a race against him. He just wanted to be the guy she ran with. He told her that the guys at her school were blind and their tastes probably ran towards sheep rather than women. Laura loved him for that.

One year after graduation, Laura married her knight in shining armor. Over the years, she had many bad-hair days and he found out that she doesn’t cook so well either, but he still loved her. His armor dimmed just a bit, but she loved him even more. She encouraged his dreams and he made them happen. She was finally able to buy her own clothes.

Babies and mortgages, job losses and setbacks, dirty diapers and mid-life crises, Laura and her man welcomed all of these challenges with the strength that comes from true love, new clothes, and chocolate.

Truly, they lived… happily ever after.

Laura is a syndicated columnist, author, & speaker. You can reach Laura at lsnyder@lauraonlife.com Or visit her website www.lauraonlife.com for more info.