Travels With Beta: Virginia is for Lovers

Ok, let’s just say it right here, right now, when it comes to horse riding: I’ve ridden horses like 5 times in my entire life.

But man oh man, horses sure bring a good kinda life with ‘em. They take up a lot of room, so they need a lot of land to roam in and sleep in, along with a whole lot of stuff to eat, and a whole lot of people to clean and ride ‘em. And they always seem to live in the most beautiful places in the country, or the world.

So why am I talking about horses? Because Beta Max and I recently stayed with my very good college friend, Sue, and her husband Charlie. Sue is a full-on horse person. She owns em, she rides em, she sells em, and she’s able to do all that because she is the most kick ass realtor in all of Loudoun County, VA, which happens to be one of the five wealthiest counties in the country.

Here’s Sue’s story. At University of Delaware, where Sue and I attended, Sue was the “It Girl.” I’m not kidding. Every guy on campus knew who she was when her wavy blonde hair came floating by main campus. Every single guy.

When I recently asked her what that was like, to be The Girl - thinking it would be a major pain in the ass - she smiled brightly and broadly at me, and said: “It was awesome.” Then she winked.

That’s exactly why Sue was homecoming queen in just her sophomore year. Sue went on to get married, have two kids, and planned on living with her new husband happily ever after. But it didn’t work out that way, as it doesn’t for many of us, and so Sue faced the challenge of raising her kids, by herself, as a single parent.

Then Sue met Charlie. Charlie was going through a divorce of his own, and needed someone to sell his house. So he hired Sue, and she sold the house, like Sue always does. Only this time, after she planted the SOLD sign in Charlie’s front yard, she feel in love - with Charlie. Charlie, in addition to falling in love with Sue, fell in love with real estate. So he became a realtor too. Today, you can find Sue and Charlie, working, together, in their basement home office, happy as clams.

What’s the morale of this story?