Second time lucky

In the school of life, failed relationships are lessons to learn from. Steve Allen and Suzi Ryan had learned the hard way what they wanted in life – and found it was each other. By Heather Grant.

One day, in August 2005, seven-year-old Jake Allen was running for all he was worth in his school sports carnival. Among the throng of classmates watching was his Year Three teacher, Suzi Ryan, urging her young student on until she lost her voice mid-cry. Her attention was distracted as her eyes settled on a man standing away from the crowd, his eyes trained on Jake. ‘Ooh, gorgeous – who is he?’ Suzi wondered.

He – of the blue work shirt and trousers – was Steve Allen, Jake’s dad and half-time carer. Steve, a hydraulic fitter, had been single 15 months and had decided life with the boys (Jake and older son, Matt) did him just fine. En route from one maintenance job to another, Steve had dropped by Collingwood Park State School, west of Brisbane, just in time to see Jake’s race. His heart was pounding with pride: he had no idea that the diminutive blonde teacher, just metres away, was also experiencing a fluttering heart.

That could have been the end of it if Suzi hadn’t mentioned to friend and school secretary, Julie, the swooning sensation she’d had during sports day; and if Julie hadn’t recognised the man as Steve, who was the neighbour of some of her best friends.

Within a fortnight, Julie and Steve’s neighbours, Rick and Lisa, were conspiring as matchmakers. “Before I knew it, Julie told me dinner had been arranged and Steve was coming,” recalls Suzi. “I freaked. This would not look good; he’d think I was forward. I couldn’t do it. Besides, I was totally and utterly committed to my son, Nick, and our life together.”

Nick and Suzi had been a ‘package deal’, as Suzi called it, for 10 years. Over that decade, Suzi and her ex-husband, David, had tried to reconcile. But, Suzi says, “While David is a great, committed father, we weren’t meant to be together. We wanted different things from life.”

“I tried dating. I hated the pub and club scene. Some of my girlfriends are very social and just love that whole ‘want to taste my lipgloss?’ thing, but that is definitely not me. I was just a lily in a garbage bin on those nights out. I didn’t need that; I was happy with my teaching, with my house and with Nick and his young mates. I’d been on my own so long – I didn’t need complications.”

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