Matt Mauser's wife, Christina, died in the same incident as the NBA icon.
, which supports single mothers, women and girls in sports through scholarships and other financial aid. Here, he reflects on his relationship with Christina and how he has coped with the devastating loss.It was after a Sunday early evening bar performance at a Huntington Beach watering hole when Christina walked up to me as I was breaking down speaker cables and sipping down the last swallows of a Coors Light.
I told her I was done and invited her to grab a bite. She explained that she was with friends and said if her plans changed she would call.MORE: MORE: Vanessa Bryant reveals she found a card Kobe wrote for her before his death Christina must’ve thought I was ridiculous, and she started laughing uncontrollably. It was the first time I’d heard her laugh. It was the sweetest, most sincere, honest display of joy I had ever experienced. It was a symphony. I fell in love with her at that moment.
I didn’t want to be seen as stupid in my mom’s eyes, so I proposed when we walked into a Zales store and told her to pick one.MORE: Vanessa Bryant says Kobe wanted to use retirement to 'make up for lost time'Her eyes began to tear, and then she looked at me with complete clarity and said, “Well, I’ll marry you, but we are not getting my wedding ring at Zales."