Still THE ONE

"How do you know if a guy is "The One"? I asked my mom.
"You just know," she replied.
"But how?"
"When you meet him, you'll know it," she said.

I had a sneaky feeling she was pulling my leg. None of the relationships I knew seemed  like a fairy tale by any stretch. If anything, most couples I had any contact with wanted to get away from one another. Hadn't I heard my mom and her best friend, google-eyed from wine, toasting the day they wouldn't have to deal with their spouses? They said they couldn't wait to be fat and happy. True love and finding "The One" was a crock.

Then I met John.

(Yes, as cheesy as this may sound...the clouds parted, the sun shone and the angels sang. At least it felt that way to me.) It truly was a Romeo and Juliet moment. I looked over the balcony and down at my future. He looked up at me with the sweetest smile I'd ever seen. Love at first sight it was not but a voice within just told me something would happen with him down the road.

 When we met, I was having dinner and hanging out with his stepmom and dad...something I did quite often since I taught with De, John's Mom #2. From the moment De popped her head into my new classroom and introduced herself as a new teacher at the school, it seemed as if we had known each other forever...true soul sisters. She listened patiently to my dating dramas, gave great relationship advice and was quick to say I should meet her son. From what I understand, De and T, John's dad, were having the same conversations with John about me.

The night he saw my red convertible in the yard while dropping his sister, Lindsey, off after a dinner out was the night of the "balcony scene." It was totally innocent. We were both unavailable. But, Honey, there was a SPARK there.

Fast forward...a year later. De asked me if I would be interested in going out with John. He was single. I declined because at that moment, I was the President of the Man Hater's Club and in the middle of the long process of breaking up a three year relationship. I told De I would call her when I felt like going out.

Fast forward again...a few months. I decided one summer day that I would like to go to dinner at least with someone. I called De but remembered halfway through the answering machine message they were on their annual family beach trip. Oh well, I thought. I'll wait and call again some other time. A few hours later the phone rang. It was John. A coincidence? I THINK NOT!!! It was fate. The stars had aligned. ( He was on the family beach trip, too. No one even knew I had called.)

The rest is history. We started dating in July, engaged by March and married by October. Badda bing! Badda boom! Forget about it!

After about our third date, I knew he was "The One."

 Yes, Mama, you were right. I just knew.

 But let me share what I knew. I knew that I yearned to be with him every second. I knew that I wanted to be a better person because of him. I knew I would follow him to Mexico and sell Chicklets if he wanted to. (NEVER felt like that before.) I knew I loved him in a few months more than I'd ever loved another person. I knew I didn't want to play any games with him. But the real deal-sealer came AFTER we were already engaged.

He NEVER left my side when my mother was dying. He told his boss that he would have to fire him if he had a problem with his taking off work because he wasn't going to leave me. I KNEW that no matter what, for better or for worse, he would be there and he has.

He makes all my dreams come true and so much more. He is my best friend and true love...my one in a million, but that's another story.