That Day We Met

I couldn’t resist his blue eyes …

Me and Mr. Blue Eyes

All I could see coming toward me were bright blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. I immediately felt resistance. After years of dating, I had learned to distrust a charming smile and pretty eyes.

We had a drink or two and talked for a couple of hours. I had to admit he was fun and interesting. He clearly liked me, but I still didn’t trust him. I’d been charmed and romanced plenty of times before.

I decided to enjoy him for as long as it lasted, but I had no intention of this becoming a long-term thing. For one thing, he was seven years younger than me and had two young children. This knocked him off the possible list as I’d decided no more kids!

We had a great time that evening, and I went home in the morning. Before I could tell my roommate about the guy I’d gone out with the night before, she told me a crazy story from the day before. She’d been working at her home office when a loud bang shot her out of her chair in shock. She thought a tree had fallen on the roof. She ran outside to discover that a garbage truck had blown one of its tires right in front of the house.

She told me how cute he was (gorgeous blue eyes!) and so nice. As I listened, I broke out in gooseflesh and had chills running up and down my spine. She finished with, “You should date him!” My answer to her was, “I did. Last night!”

He was a garbage truck driver and worked on our side of town. We lived in a fairly large city, so the odds of him blowing a tire in front of my house the day we met were pretty slim. I’m terrible at math, but even I know that.

We went out the next night, and I told him that the story he had told me on our first date had happened in front of my house. He didn’t seem that surprised and was convinced it was fate. He said we were meant to be together. It was obviously far too soon to know that, but, as he told me later when he met me, he knew. It took me a little longer to figure it out.

After three dates and despite the huge “coincidence” of the truck in front of my house scenario, I broke it off. I couldn’t get past the kids thing, and honestly, I think I had a premonition of what was to come. I have this weird tendency to know things I shouldn’t.

Soon after I broke his heart, as he likes to say, I went on a date with someone else. I had actually been talking to this man before my date with “blue eyes.” This man had everything I thought I was looking for. He was my age, or a little older, and had grown children, a house, and property. We had great conversations, but I know now I had ignored the red flags.

He lived in another city, so that weekend was my chance to see if we had chemistry. Spoiler alert: we didn’t. We tried a restaurant close to my house but didn’t like the vibe, so we went to another one. After we found our seats, he left to go to the toilet. While waiting for him to return, I glanced around and, to my horror, looked straight into a pair of laughing blue eyes. He lived on the other side of town. There was no reason for him to be in that restaurant then. He was there with his beautiful blue-eyed son and daughter. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

After that weekend, when I knew that sometimes what you think you want isn’t what you really want, I decided I had made a mistake. The problem was, when I told “blue eyes” that I didn’t want to see him anymore, I deleted his number from my phone. I also deleted the dating app that we had met on. I had no way of contacting him. I figured I was going to have to live with my mistake. About a week or two later, I picked up my phone, and there was his name and phone number. It was impossible, but there it was. The universe had given me a second chance.

He answered but had no idea who I was at first. He’s a handsome guy and had no trouble getting dates. He’d gone on a few in the weeks we’d been apart. As soon as he realized who I was, he said sure, let’s go on another date. For someone with a broken heart, he played it pretty cool.

That was over three years ago. We’ve gone through a lot in that time, which is probably the premonition I had, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. He is my other half and understands and loves me like no one ever has. I’ve learned that when a person comes into your life who suits you, they will also challenge you. He has challenged me and been there to pick up the pieces as I’ve broken and remade myself into the person I’ve always wanted to be.

It was meant to be, just as he said, but life isn’t a fairytale. Yes, there have been many magical moments, but there has also been pain, struggle, and frustration. That’s how it works. We have walked through it together, hands clasped (sometimes to keep from hitting each other). Love is a commitment, not just to each other but also to yourself. When you truly love, it means you have to truly love yourself, too. And you have to open your eyes to how you can be a better partner. He has done that for me and I for him. Those blue eyes fill me with love and frustration in equal measure.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t know how much that man would change me and how grateful I am to have him in my life. We have gone on some crazy adventures together, and I look forward to whatever comes next.

I love you, “blue eyes.”