Well, a couple more Sundays went by, with Kim still attending the Branch, but nothing of a more-than-just-friends relationship sort evolved. The next time they were able to meet was at a Christmas party held at Karen Strongitharm’s house. There was a white elephant gift exchange, and Kim ended up getting the gift that Mary had brought — a Chinese wooden puzzle.
Less than a week later, Mary had invited Kim to come to her house for another Christmas party. Upon arriving, Kim was met by Mary and Glen Gonzalves (who by the way is not Hispanic). They were listening to some music. A while later, everyone else showed up, and a basic LDS party ensued.
Glen drove Kim to the Burrard Skytrain station in downtown Vancouver using his brother Dave Clay’s beat up blue van. Along the drive, Glen told Kim that Mary liked him, and that he should ask her out. Not knowing Glen and Mary were like siblings, Kim suggested that she liked Glen (from seeing how close they were). Glen laughed. Mary was conducting a Branch choir working on “From Cumorah’s Hill”, and she invited Kim to join it.
It wasn’t long before Mary was having parties every week, and Kim seemed to be the only one who was in attendance to every one. He was getting the feeling that she in fact did like him.
At the YSA Christmas dance, Kim was asked to play Santa Claus. Being the womaniser that he was, he enjoyed all the women sitting on his lap and being able to hand out candy canes. Mary was a bit reserved however and would only sit on the couch beside him.
Mary and Glen asked Kim to sit beside them at their table. In addition, the first Sunday of January, Mary asked Glen and Kim to sit with her during the CES Satellite Broadcast, and at the New Year’s Dance stood beside him when the New Year was welcomed in.
By this time, many mutual friends had tried talking Kim into asking Mary out. He portrayed himself as not fully interested. Besides he had just started back in the workforce, and felt he didn’t have enough money for a first date.
On the 28th January 1995, Kim went down to the LDS Seattle Temple with Sean Irwin, Dan Jimmie, Steve Clarke, and Steve’s Mum Charlotte. There they met with Mary, and Christie Adams. All the way back home, Kim kept talking about her.
That weekend was stake conference for the Surrey British Columbia Stake of the LDS Church. The Branch had to sing as a choir for the conference. The men sat on the rostrum, and the women sat on the first couple of rows of pews. Kim was sitting between Dan and Sean, and told them that Mary would turn and look at him and smile. That she did. He then told them that if she did it a second time, it meant she liked him. She did it four more times before the meeting started.