Prince Charming doesn’t always ride in on a white horse or run to his damsel in distress.

However, as a girl, I imagined that my future Prince Charming would be that way. I imagined my Prince Charming would be able to swoop me up, gracefully twirl me around a dance floor, and stand tall beside me with a protective arm draped around my shoulder with ease.

And then, I met Paul—a man who completely changed my idea of Prince Charming.

Paul and I met through an online dating site. I received a genuine “I’ve read your profile and want to get to know you” message from Paul. I viewed his picture and was pleased to see a smile on his face—a smile so real that his eyes smiled too.

According to his profile, our interests were similar—so, I responded. Paul and I chatted for nearly two days before I finally said, “So, tell me about the chair.”

It was the picture of him behind the wheel of his car that caught my attention. I got a faint visual of a tire and spokes in the background. The way the wheel rested on the back seat of the car alluded to it being something other than a bike wheel.

He was surprised that I’d noticed it; his “about me” section made no mention that he rolled instead of walked. What was even more surprising to him was that I noticed it, yet still responded. That’s when I told him that I found intelligence more attractive than legs.

I learned that Paul is a paraplegic with a complete T6 and T7 injury as a result of a motorcycle accident 13 years prior. He later revealed to me that he was greatly relieved that I had brought the chair up, because it saved him from having to find a way to work it into our conversation.

I admit I was nervous about our first date, more so than the typical first-date nerves. I was unsure of how a date with a man in a wheelchair worked.

Was there wheelchair etiquette?

Would he wheel before me, or would I walk before him?

Would I open the door, or would he?

I didn’t know.

And then, there he was, wheeling toward me with a single red rose in his lap. He wore a blue shirt that complimented his eyes, and the first words out of my mouth when I saw him were, “You look handsome.”

He stopped and motioned for me to walk before him, and then reached out to grab a hold of the door handle to open the door for me. Our date began with a nice dinner full of great conversation, laughter, and flirty comments. It ended with the two of us both in his car, belting out lyrics to R&B songs that we both knew and liked.

The comfort that I get from sitting on Paul’s lap with his arms wrapped tightly around me is a feeling that I hadn’t felt up until our meeting. Once I’m seated, a sense of peace, love, and belonging washes over me—and I close my eyes, allowing my breath to slow. I feel the warmth of him seep into my skin, and I once again, I feel blanketed in his pure love.

From the first kiss to our first heated intimate encounter, we flowed in sync like two swans doing their dance of love on the water. Sex with Paul was different. Sex with Paul is the most intimate, sensual trip of exploration that I have ever taken.

So, you see, Prince Charming doesn’t always ride in on a white horse or run to his damsel in distress. Sometimes, he rolls.

My Prince Charming rolls into a room making it that much brighter. My Prince Charming pulls me close when the beat to a song we both like comes on—and together we whirl with his chair, hands clasped, and my hips swaying in time to the sway of his shoulders.

My Prince Charming is fiercely protective as he rolls beside me and protectively claims me with an occasional smack on my ass. With my Prince Charming, I will always have a welcoming seat that comes with loving arms. And lucky for me, a Prince Charming who rolls always gets the best parking places.

~

Relephant:

Please Don’t Call Me “Wheelchair-Bound.”

“You’re the One that I Wa-ant.”

~

Author: Jamie Bruner
Image: courtesy of author
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

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