Cacio E Pepe Ravioli with Mushrooms & Spinach

David and I get asked a lot about how we met. In my opinion, it is a true love story, and it all started with a tap on the shoulder.

After my divorce, the first date I went on ended up being a tumultuous three-year relationship. Even though deep down I knew that we were not a good fit, I had no idea the toll it would take on my self-esteem. The word “unlovable” felt like a neon sign that I carried around for the world to see. I was determined that I was going to make this work because another failed relationship was not an option.

We will call this person “little man” because not only was he small in stature but he came up short when it came to understanding how to be a healthy partner. He was in his 50s, never married, without children. This should have been my first red flag. There was one restaurant in particular that we would frequent often, and it is here that David first noticed me. In his words, he said I “lit up the room.” He says my smile imprinted on his heart.

On one particular night when “little man” and I went to the restaurant, the bar (which is the only place he would sit) was full except for one chair. He kept nudging me forward and asking me to annoyingly hover around until someone left. A man beside the empty chair turned around and offered me the seat. I mentioned I needed two because I was with someone. He said he was aware, and that he was finished. I blurted that there was no way he was done because I noticed half a steak and a full beer. But he politely said he was, paid the bill, and quietly left.

Several months later, I was in the same restaurant with a friend of mine having a girl’s night out. “Little man” had broken up with me because he was mad I was choosing to spend time without him. This happened all the time, so by this point, I was used to the routine. I should mention that I was given a diamond band after a few months of dating to wear on my ring finger. It wasn’t a marriage proposal; he just didn’t want people to think I was single. Romantic right? Well, that night I was single, so I left the ring at home. After dinner when we asked for our check, our bartender said it had already been paid. Shocked we asked who? Why? His only response was that a person saw us having a good time and wanted that feeling to last a little longer. He promised to keep it a secret.

Exactly two weeks later, that friend and I stopped into the same restaurant to have a drink before a concert. As I am standing there, I notice a pair of broad shoulders. I turned to my friend and mentioned that I thought this may have been the guy who bought us dinner. When she asked how did I know, I just said that I had a really strong feeling. It was as if God had tapped me on the shoulder and said, “he’s the one.”  My friend begged me not to say anything because one, it would be super embarrassing and two, the man had on corduroys. Excitedly I screamed “I know. He has on corduroys!” So of course I went up, tapped him on the shoulder, and said, “You bought my friend and me dinner the other night, didn’t you?” He immediately turned to the bartender and said, “Adam, I told you not to tell them!” In which Adam replied, “I didn’t.”

David was just as confused as my friend. He asked how could I have known. I said, “God told me it was you.” It turns out David had been watching me for a year. Every time he saw me, he said the room would illuminate. He even prayed to God that one day he would get the chance to meet me. It turns out David was the man who gave me his chair that night. He noticed “little man” pushing me, and wanted to show how a proper gentleman handles a situation. Recalling the incident, I don’t remember David’s face, but I must have remembered his presence. He said the night he bought us dinner, he noticed that I didn’t have on my ring. He assumed I had been married. He said he would come into the restaurant in hopes that he would catch a glimpse of me, and that night he took a chance while flying under the radar. As soon as we started talking, it was as if we had known each other forever. While on paper we may not look like a match, without a doubt, we are perfectly paired. And nine years later, how do I know that he is the one for me? Because only my true soul mate would wear corduroys.