Serendipity. Happenstance. Fate. Luck. Whatever you want to
call it, something or someone, was working for us on February 12, 2006. Both
Mark and my father's invited us to a free lunch at Claddagh’s, the one thing
neither of us had ever turned down. We both showed up, wearing what they
had found on the floor that morning, expecting nothing more than a free meal;
neither of us expecting that we would be meeting the person we would be
spending the rest of their lives with.
I was living in East Lansing at the time and was finishing my
junior year of college at Michigan State University. Mark had recently moved to
the area, in hopes of returning to school and starting a new chapter in his
life.
The first thing I noticed was his smile and quick wit. Even
looking like a hobo, he seemed at ease with himself and able to put others at
ease as well. I kept hoping he would ask for my number (Mark said he regretted
not asking).
I spent the next few months pestering my father to get
Mark’s number and staking out Claddagh’s in hopes of a second meeting. Needless
to say, neither pursuit panned out. Just when I was giving up hope, Mark
emailed me. He had looked me up on MSU’s webpage and said he was hoping to make
friends in the area. I contacted him immediately and set up a time to meet.
When we met at Harper’s, I had one thing on my mind. While he
was focused on gaining new friends, I knew that Mark was somebody worth
pursuing a relationship with. Using my best subtly, flirting, and feminine
wiles, I attempted to seduce Mark and ensure a deeper relationship than
friendship.
At the end of the night, it came to a coin toss. Again,
maybe it was fate, maybe it was meant to be, maybe it was just plain luck, but
the coin came up tails. I won. In the end, I like to think, so did Mark.
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