Once upon a time….I guess that is how all the stories start out. I guess you could say that I am a hopeless romantic; I believe in the perfect Allie and Noah relationship, the spontaneous love affair of Jack and Rose or the perfect friendship turned romance of Harry Burns and Sally Albright. I want to hear Romeo’s stones on my window or a Peter Gabriel’s "In Your Eyes" blasting into my open bedroom window. Wouldn’t it be nice to be a Disney princess or dropped in a Nicholas Sparks novel for a day? Maybe, but I think we need to ask ourselves is it realistic to have these expectations in today’s dating scene of hook-ups? Many of you will say no before hearing my stories, devoted to the single hopeless romantic.

Once upon a time, I was an awkward (even more than I am now) cross country runner. Every day after school I had practice from 3-5:00, on Mondays we had a pretty low key day and we use to have some awesome conversations. One day after I had just ended my first relationship with my first boyfriend my teammates talked about how our parents met.

Story 1: Ice Cream Social

My XC coach spoke up first; to describe this woman, she was the fastest, healthiest person I ever met. She never ate any sweets and she ran about twice a day at the age of 55. She began by describing her college experience; as a student she had a job in the ice cream shop on campus and was a busy girl involved in her studies and campus activities, just like any college student. Coach is one of those people that are slightly oblivious to people and their emotions… (hold onto this it is an important detail!).

Every day hundreds of hungry college students hustled into the shop to satisfy their sweet tooth; one boy in particular came in every day and stayed to watch her until she closed at 9. Of course Coach never paid any attention to the boy that watched from the corner of the bar….he must have an extra long brain freeze she thought. Weeks went by and the boy came for ice cream every day; one night when she stayed late to clean and the ice cream boy stayed to help her clean. The boy came back the next day and asked her out… they are still married to this day.

Story 2: The Lost Date Book

One girl on the team named Simone spoke up next; she exclaimed that about a month ago she and her sister were going through her Dad’s sock drawer and they found a date book labeled 1991. They flipped through it: January 7: Dentist at 2, March 16: new job at Murphy’s tavernà be there at 8, April 22: Lena (who was Lena?!), and the rest of the book: covered in coffee (typical Dad). Simone threw the book on the floor, and something slide out of the last page; it was a photo of her mother labeled: Anne Dec. 1991. Simone grabbed the book, the photo and ran like a dog called for food to her Dad’s office. I imagine the conversation went something like this:

S: Dad?

D: Yes, bub?

S: How did you meet mom?

D: Well we met at a bar?

S: Oh really..when?

D: November 1991.

S: Who’s Lena?

D: Old girlfriend

S: Okay Dad…how did you meet mom?

D: Well Simone….I have no idea how you know all this stuff or are asking all these questions but I was going steady with Lena and we were even thinking about getting married. I didn’t really feel satisfied. One night at Murphy’s, I saw this girl with beautiful brown Greek curls and the most beautiful smile. I saw her and couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I couldn’t let her get away so, I asked her to dance and we danced the night away. I saw her everyday until we were engaged 3 months later.

Story 3: The Chase

Julie’s grandparents met in college when working on a play. Her grandfather, Ruth, was the director of the play and left specific instructions on how she wanted the lighting and special effects. The stage manager, Don, of the play was a spoiled boy that didn’t have a care in the world; Ruth despised him because she grew up very poor with not a penny to pinch between her fingers.

During the first rehearsal, Ruth cued Don to shine the spotlight center stage. Instead Don started moving the spotlight over the curtain very quickly. The cast sporadically ran across the stage, the orchestra fell flat and all that was heard was Don’s cackling laugh in the light box.

Ruth ran up to the stairs to the light box; Don flipped all the lights off in the upstairs room, as Ruth entered. Don moved close so she could feel his breath on her face. Her heart jumped from her chest--but why she hated him?

“Hi Ruth” he breathed

“Why would you do that Don? Can’t you be helpful?!” she reprimanded.

“I…I..well…I thought it was funny!” he joked.

Ruth reached for the light and pushed Don out of the way.

“Wait..Ruth”

“Get out of her by Monday…I am off to look for a new stage manager”

Ruth ran out of the school auditorium with tears in her eyes. “How am I going to get this thing together?”, she thought. Suddenly, the door of the auditorium slammed; Don was running behind her.

“Ruth—Wait!”, he gasped. He was catching up to her and she wasn’t exactly trying to outrun him. He grabbed her arm. “Ruth, you gotta forgive me! I just wanted your attention. Can’t I take you to dinner?” Surprisingly enough Ruth said yes and they went on many more dates despite her first impression.

The Last Story: My Story

I knew this one kid from elementary school days. The first time I met him, he told me that he had not changed his underwear in 30 days! Clearly after I discovered this, I distanced myself entirely. We were separated until seventh grade, when he sat at our lunch table…he was just as weird then, so I continued to distance myself. He was then on XC and we saw each other at team bonding events.

One dinner in particular I remember he said he would f---- a squirrel if he had to….what?! Another year went by and he started to talk to me, we sat by a fire and I knew right away he was into me. I never said anything because the chase is the best part. We became friends and I thought it would be fun to play the flirting game, even though my parents were against the whole boy relationship thing. We talked for months, wrote each other corny letters, quoted Elizabeth Barret Browning and then something happened….I started to like him too.

By the spring, we were officially a secret couple . He used to take me to the park and we would dance under the trees and enjoy the pond wildlife. It was the most innocent kindred love you could have and I am forever grateful my first kiss was with someone that I was friends with for so long. I can never really say if it was love and I am probably not doing it justice here but the letters, and the dancing are something that make the story one for the grandkids.

So, you might think that these are corny romances but in I’d like to believe that fate plays a role in what happens in our lives. Certain people are brought into our lives through mutual friends, sports, schools, plays, bars and the rarest situations. I hope that someday you are able to dance in the woods like a Disney princess, or that you are able to find love in someone you misjudged. Whatever, the case may be, remember dear reader that you are special and so loved. Wait out singledom and Mr. or Miss. Right will come racing around the corner.