She was a luscious ripened fruit - sweet and succulent. Guys swarmed around her yearning for a taste.
I was more like a blossom - small and undeveloped. Not many guys were attracted to the scent of potential bloom.
My friend's date was somewhat of a nuisance. He asked me to dance a little too often. He talked to me a little too eagerly. He seemed undeterred by my quiet shyness.
During the next few weeks he sought me out. He pursued me relentlessly until I agreed to go out with him. I was perplexed by his perseverance and mistrusted his intentions. Was he just trying to make my friend jealous? But he never asked her out again. They only dated that one time.
He never stopped seeking me out. I grew to love his unyielding hunt for my affections.
And after so many years, you'd think he'd stop. But he still insists on finding me - in a different way. Now he searches and celebrates when he finds and helps uncover facets of me that I would have left hidden, pieces of me still unfolding in this creative process called life.
I am so grateful that when he first saw me, scrawny and shy at that dance, he thought to himself, That's the girl I'm going to marry, and he did. I thank whatever stars aligned, winked and arranged the cosmos, so that our hearts could recognize the ever-burning spark in each other, so worthy of pursuit.
***
