The Story of The Love of My Life, whom I met at Age 56.

He’s now lying in a hospital bed, but I have faith he’ll be okay.

Photo by Savannah Dematteo : https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-kisses-and-hugs-the-woman-2346781/

I thought he was a con man when I met him five months ago — February 16, 2026. I didn’t see him as a con man only because he was so tall, so good looking, had such a winning smile and soulful eyes. I didn’t think he was a con man when he helped me and my buddy protect ourselves from the chilly February west ocean wind. He led us to a windless spot to watch the sunset. It was a place on the cliffs that overlook the water — 2 blocks from his house — it’s called Sunset Cliffs — many in San Diego drive here for the breathtaking lookouts of the sea.

Don’t get me wrong — Ocean Beach, where this happened, is not like La Jolla, California, with multi-million dollar homes overlooking the ocean. Or Encinitas, or Del Mar, or any of those bougie communities you see in San Diego and Southern Cali, like Palos Verdes, Malibu, the aforementioned.

There ARE some multi-million dollar homes on Sunset Cliffs — but that part of Ocean Beach I don’t really consider Ocean Beach. I just call if Sunset Cliffs. And when you say that to an OB’tian, they’ll know what you mean. Ocean Beach is a down-to-earth hippie town where we all look out for one another, for the most part. We have a ton of homeless people, a ton of dog shit, a lot of noise — that is, if you live in my part of OB.

I live about 1.5 miles north of the multi-million dollar homes — in a place called The War Zone — there’s crime, but I still feel safe. I live about 1 mile north of Jeremy, aka the Con Man. Jereemy lives on Sinset Cliffs Blvd. but his house is not considered the Sunset Cliffs Area. Not that any of this matters.

He’s now the love of my life and he’s lying in a hospital bed because he has to get a mass removed from his head this morning.

He told his 10 and 12 year old boys about that surgery yesterday, from his hospital bed. They are angels.

His 12 year old will turn 13 in November.

Jeremy’s dad died when Jeremy was 13. He drowned. Then he went to live with his great grandfather. He drowned too. So Jeremy has lived on his own, in Tacoma, Washington, since he was 15.

His son is 12 but will turn 13 in November. I know that in the back of his mind Jeremy thinks, “I may die just like my dad did and leave my oldest son and his brother alone.”

But he is not a Negative Nelly like I am. The thought prolly crossed Jeremy’s mind but he hasn’t dwelled on it, I’m sure.

I didn’t call him a con man to his face until 24 hours after I first met him. I was no longer with my friend, John. I was staying in an Airbnb up the street — now we laughingly call it the Pecker Hotel — his house is literally ‘round the corner.

I went to watch the sunset and he walked by as my back was to him. He now tells me he didn’t recognize me from the night before. He started to walk down the beach stairs that led to the less windy spot he showed me and my friend John the day before. I said, “hey” to his back, but I’m a low talker. He now tells me he didn’t hear me.

I got cold and rolled my eyes. “Well, I guess I’m gonna go see that wanker because I’m cold and Imneed to get warm and I’m gonna do what I want.”

I hadn’t done what I wanted in 20 years plus — my ex husband is a control freak and a jerk. Jeremy has told to put the past behind me and stop dwelling on how miserable I was being married to the ex. I have, for the most part. It makes me miserable to think about him — Steve, the ex-husband with whom I wasted over 20 year of my life.

Jeremy and I ended up talking for 2 or 3 house that evening at the sea, til after dark. I don’t remember exactly what we spoke about; only that I told him he was too alpha for me, that I didn’t want a relationship, that I’d just escaped my husband fewer than three weeks prior. That he seemed like a con man — I told this to his face — and that I didn’t trust him.

One of the first things he told me that night was, “Hey, I’m a single dad who gets his kids half time. I put my kids first. Other ladies have had a problem with this, so I just want u to know that.”

I think I fell in love him when he first said this. I’m embarrassed to say it was Love at First Sight, but it was Love at First Sight.

Jeremy giving me flowers after I moved into my house.

It has been outta sight since I met him.

Yeah, I’ve done some shitty things to drive him away because I didn’t think true love existed. I didn’t wanna get into another relationship — it’d only been 3 years since I left Steve in the middle of the night, with a couple suitcases. Also, Jeremy was too good looking, too alpha — what the hell did this guy want from me?

And now I’m writing this next to his hospital bed.

We got admitted Friday (it is now Monday). He has to get a large mass removed from his brain in about five hours.

He is in his ’40s, and again, a single dad who is also a General Contactor. He builds million dollar homes.

It’s a nice room, this hospital room. I slept better here last night than I had the entire time I was married to Steve — the ex-husband — and especially thereafter. I couldn’t sleep for months after I got outta that horrid relationship.

Anyhow, I thought Jeremy was a con man until I didn’t. I treated him so crappily so I could drive him away. I have written other articles explainng all the abuse I did to him — breaking into his home — hitting him, spitting on him, endless verbal abuse and drama and fightintg.

But we went to the North Shore of O’ahu in Hawai’i for ten days. We just returned a week ago. Then this.

Jeremy and I had a heart-to-heart one morning after I had a met down (his kids were staying in a separate room at Turtle Bay Resort (I wrote an article here about how the Ritz-Carlton, who has recently taken over Turtle Bay, is ruining Hawai’ian culture and only catering to the very wealthy, demanding, douche bag guests who stay there.

Don’t get me wrong — the employees are lovely — it’s the Ritz-Carlton that tells them to kiss the butts of people like the Red Bull Fitness Convention folks. Twenty-something year olds who have more money than God and talk about vapid shit.

But hey they are fitness models and gorgeous and they were fun to look at when we first checked in.

Too bad we got treated like trash because the hotel was catering to them, as well a some white, wealthy slave-owner money-funded folks from the mainland. They were having a wedding.

I can only imagine the hell the nice, mostly Hawai'ian local workers were going thru that weekend. Actually, most likely, every weekend, now that that greedy, disrespectful, farthest-from-Hawai’ian company. The effing Ritz is in Hawai’i. Lawd Have Mercy.

But I’m off subject. We had a great time with his 10 and 12 year old boys. They are angels. They never complain. They aren ever on their phones. They know how to talk to adults, but they don’t try too hard. They are in their own little worlds, playing in nature and chattering amongst each other like little monkeys.

Prior to that, we’d stayed in a lovely, quaint Airbnb near Sunset Beach, only about 8 miles east of the now-monstrosity called The Ritz-Carlton at Turtle Bay.

We shared one bathroom, me and Jeremy and 2 tween-aged boys. It was heavenly, this place.

So Turtle Bay was a shock. My point is, I love this family. I’m told his ex-wife is a good mom. I’m so very glad to hear this. So half of their time they get to spend with a good mom, and the other half, with Jeremy, the best dad I have ever seen. I’m not just saying this because I love him deeply. I’m saying this if anything happened to Jeremy…

But nothing’s gonna happen to him, right?

During our heart to heart, he told me he is not going anyweher and that if I put my painful past behind me and nly looked forward, I’d be so much happier. Tears formed in his beautiful blue eyes when hesaid that. He’s a big burly guy — about 1 foot taller than my 5'4 1/2", large because even tho he looks like a ‘dumb blonde beach guy’, he’s 30 % American Indian. So he’s quite large. and strong. and spiritual. and attuned to nature.

Did I tell you how much I love him? How he is my soul mate?

I won’t even get into how I dreamt of him 20 years whilst laying next to my ex husband.

Not what he looked like, not even a guy. But i had dreams — at least once or twice per week — of waling the streets of Ocean Beach, where I’d lived 5 years prior to marrying the ex — with some Virgo I was close to. And I was so happy in those dreams.

And I owned my own place in those dreams — which I do now. A wee yellow cottage I can call my own. Yay.

Then, in those dreams, me and the person were going to Seattle. I was a flight attendant for 18 years and know almost every American city. Seattle has always been my favorite. He’s actually from a town called Tacoma, a bastard town of Seattle, I’m told.

Boston was my second favorite city. I’m from Weymouth, Massachusetts, a bastard little working class town of Boston.

Anyhow, wome may find me crazy or manic or something when I talk about having dreamt of Jeremy for 20 years before meeting him. But it’s the truth. I cannot lie. I never have lied, at least nothing more than a little white lie, oh and there were those lies to my controlling parents so they’d let me leave the house in high school. But I shit you not.

I dreamt of this prince long before I met him.

He’s not going to die. I mean, his family folklore would suggest differently. But me and his dead dad always converse when I’m at the sea — especially when I’m surfing. He told me, “Kelley, this is gonna be really fucking hard. But he will live. At lest til his hyoungest is 18 or can take care of himself.” His youngest is only 10. So I hope these little talks aren’t just a figment of my imagination.

I know they are not. Just figments, I mean. I’m pretty connected spiritually, especially now that I’m living my own life and am happy and open.

So I can’t wait for Jeremy to come outta surgery this afternoon and to love him again while we are home and hopefully some day marry him, even though both of us swore we’d never marry again.

I’m gonna give u one tidbit from Jeremy: he always says to me, “Kelley, turn down your blasting music and listen to nature’s sound track.”

I heard the lullaby of the waves, the birds singing, the wind. I still listen to my music loudly when I’m in The War Zone — the area of OB where I live. And when I’m driving. But otherwise, I love nature’s sound track. I’m into that jam.