Kimm Walker: Special people

You know how sometimes you can look at a sunset and think, if someone tried to paint the sky that colour no one would believe it. My relationship with my husband is a bit like that, it’s too ‘Mills and Boon’ to be real. I met him when I came to Barnsley (I told you it was unbelievable) from Western Michigan University, to do a teaching practice on an exchange programme. We knew in less than two weeks we wanted to be married.

It didn’t make any sense to anyone. The dinner ladies at the college were furious that one of their favourites would choose an American when there were so many English ‘Roses’ available (there was a ratio of 12 boys to 500 girls at the college). Our lecturers were terrified they’d be held responsible in some way. And my dad… well, he wrote more letters in those few months than at any other time in his life! The government wasn’t impressed, either, they deported me.

However, in true romance fashion, love prevailed and we’ll celebrate 33 years of marriage on New Year’s Eve. He’s helped me to understand what it is to be British and to see American culture from a different perspective. I think it’s given my writer’s voice an interesting edge.

I’d love to know what others think. If you read my memoir, A Life Less Lost, I hope you’ll let me know.

Visit http://kbwalker-lifelesslost.blogspot.com