The Lover's Time Line

Dec 2 2001 (Megan’s Birthday): Paul and Megan meet through committee work at Cairns Youth Mentoring Service. She thought, “What an arrogant young up start.” He thought, “She’s a bit weird.”

Thrown together by a requirement for each other’s professional advice and a reluctance to purchase it elsewhere, a solid friendship developed over a number of months. For two years, they rang each other, ate together, hung out together and considered each other best friends. Megan's kids all adored Paul, and Megan knew she had been too hasty in her analysis of him: he was far from arrogant, just really bloody stupid sometimes and talked far too much. Paul knew his first assumptions of Megan had tested correctly: she was weird, but good weird.

By early 2003, Megan was the first to realise that she had fallen in love with Paul. The love was not reciprocated. Paul just wanted to remain friends. Megan decided to leave the country and start her life over again.

April 2003: At a farewell morning tea, Megan’s father asked Paul when Megan and Paul would be getting together. Paul skirted the conversation by making a joke: "Not before Monday," he said.

April 2003: Megan left to go to work in England.

September 2003: Megan came home for Jade’s 21st birthday and Paul finally decided he wanted to have a relationship with Megan. He had missed her big time and the phone bill was costing him a fortune. It was torture for Megan to return to the London winter when she finally had sunshine at home.

October 2003: On his deathbed, Megan’s father asks Paul what was happening between Megan and Paul. Paul told him that they had decided to “give it a go.” Peter Bayliss died the following day, knowing that Paul and Megan would be okay together.

January 26 2004: Megan returned from London and they began living together.

February 14 2004: Paul rejects Megan’s proposal of marriage. She asked him to take the antique 24 carrot gold wedder back to the antique shop and get the money back. He told her to stick it, it was his ring and he wanted to keep it.

March 31 2004 (Paul's birthday): Paul rejects Megan’s second proposal of marriage. Megan couldn’t be bothered asking again because obviously he doesn’t love her (in reality, Megan was thinking “BASTARD!”).

Dec 2 2006 (Megan’s Birthday): Five years to the date of meeting each other, Paul proposed to Megan on the beach at Palm Cove as the sun was setting. He spins her some story about Paronella Park being a perfect spot and pulls the antique brass ring box containing antique gold wedder out of his pocket and says, “What’da ya reckon?” Megan wonders what the hell he’s talking about and “hey, isn’t that the antique box I bought?” Then it hits her!!!!!!!! Da! Unable to string out a good joke and make Paul think that she was weighing her options, Megan accepted immediately. Megan was pissed off to discover that Alexander and Paul had planned the proposal for months. Obviously Megan’s training of don’t EVER keep secrets failed on this occasion! How Alexander kept it a secret, Megan will never understand.

March 31 2007 (Paul’s birthday): A very happy day for Paul and Megan. A new chapter for each of them.