How I Met My Wife

My only encounter with love at first sight

Admiring her from afar

When I first saw my wife she was standing in the concession line at the theater waiting on her popcorn and drinks. I was in line at the other side of the theater waiting for the third Star Wars movie to start. I remember standing their looking at this very pretty woman from across the room standing in the yoga tree pose. I had no idea I was standing in line right next to her mother and sister. My future wife finished paying for her snacks and turned around revealing her beautiful face to me as everyone else in the room seemed to fall into the shadows. She was walking in my direction, and my heart was beating in step. As she came closer I could feel a warmth inside me as I steadied my breathing and fought to maintain my composure. I had seen and been around many beautiful women in my life but none that walked so elegantly before.

Our first close encounter

As she stepped in line next to me I reminded myself that I was here alone by choice. My life was too busy to waist on relationships for now. I also checked her fingers for any sign of a ring. There was none. She stood there in position one as I would soon come to understand it while she gave her mom and sister their drinks. I was trying so hard not to stare at her or smell her sweet perfume. She caught me. I stuttered for an explanation and as I told her I was admiring her earrings. She told me they were her old initials. I worriedly looked at her ring finger again. She caught me in the act and said “No no I’m not married” as she look to see if I had a ring. I remember her sweet little voice. The sound of her voice made me nearly faint like a first kiss or some exotic food prepared by a master chef.

The line began moving as the movie opened and I was forced to look away. I glanced back at her glancing at me. I turned at the last moment before the man took my ticket and asked for her number. It wasn’t me so much as it was the part of me that I can’t control. We all have it. It’s the part of us that makes decisions when all else has failed and our very life depends on a single crucial moment. She gave me her number. I had nothing to write it down with. We were suddenly separated in a dark theater and I hadn’t even brought my phone with me to record her number.   

My distraction   

I had been waiting for this movie to come out for months. I had even had my opening day ticket two months in advance. My schedule had been interrupted so that I had to accept a random later viewing time where the Gods put me next to the most elegantly beautiful woman who had given me her number only to forget a pen to write it down. I missed the entire movie. I just sat there repeating her name and number in my head over and over like a witch chanting some ancient enchantment of remembrance.

The movie was over and everyone left the theater room as I followed. Like an addict I went to the women’s bathroom hoping to see her one more time. Her sister was standing there waiting on Mary-Anne and their mom to come out. I started a light conversation with her sister as I cooked up an excuse for being a stalker. Mary-Anne came out with her mother and I could see the questioning look on her face. I told her I didn’t mean to intrude but I had forgotten to ask what time was best to call. She seemed relieved as she told me any weekend or week day after 3:30 pm. I thanked her and we awkwardly went our separate ways.

A new me

The moment I got in my car I called my best friend Chris, my sister and several other people. I told them all that I had just met my future wife. I had just met the one woman that could make me settle down and grow up. I was already planning our future and how many kids we were going to have. Given my past dealings with women and the fact that I’d been busy planting enough wild oats to feed a small country my friends all thought I was nuts. But I just knew. I knew that there in the theater waiting to see a movie that no longer mattered I had met the one woman God meant for me. I had met a woman so graceful and so pretty and so perfectly pleasant that I was ready to take all the little lessons other girls had tried to teach me over the years and perfect them in my life. I was ready to love her. I was ready to start earning her love. And I was ready to commit myself to something far larger than I ever could be alone. I just knew. 

Feel free to leave your comments as you see fit. I am really interested in how you met your wife. If you would like to share your story I will be glad to post it on the blog.