I think anyone who has been in the dating pool over the last 10 years can agree that online dating apps are mostly full of robots. Alas, as a man in my late 20’s with questionable social skills and minimal time to go out, there I was, surfing the algorithm and losing hope with every swipe, when a notification popped up on my phone. “You have a new match”, and shortly after “You have a new message”.

With a roll of my eyes, I put down whatever book or game I was occupying myself with at the time, wondering what the bots had for me this time.

“Hey! How are you? Have you read any good books recently?”

A question about a hobby I had on my profile? Curious of how far chatbot had advanced, I answered and asked a question of my own, preparing to perform the potato test.

Ding “you have a message from Danielle”

She responded… and actively participated in our conversation, and that conversation just didn’t stop. I was amazed, she cared about our discussion and put her own effort into keeping it going, something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

So I took a risk two days later, and asked her on a date.

She said yes? She said yes. She said YES!

We went to a low profile spot down town for dinner. We sat and talked and joked until the restaurant staff started turning off lights.

What time is it? Late.

Did we close out the place? Yes.

So as I walked her to her car, I asked her if I could see her again. And she said yes.

But in the time between those nights, we couldn’t stop talking. We built a foundation of curiosity, and built a palace out of paragraphs.

Finally on our second date, she hussled me at pool….

And a third date.

And a kiss.

And game over, she had me.

You must understand, I had all but given up. I had come to terms with the idea that I would be alone for the rest of my life. I’d accepted that I wasn’t worth having. I had begun to agree with the voices in my head saying that I was destined for a life of solitude.

But then here was Danielle, out of nowhere, sent from heaven, hitting me like a kei truck out of a bad iseki anime.

And I tell you, that when those voices pipe up, she has none of it. All of the walls I built around myself? She tore them down like a Berliner in 1989.

Then it was St Patrick's Day.

A hockey game

A country bar

Our Birthdays

A hurricane

A best friend's wedding

A family diamond being put in a ring

Two more hurricanes

A cousins wedding

Another best friends wedding

A question to her parents

A townhouse lease signed

That ring in my pocket and a question asked.

An answer on her lips.

A promise.

D&A

Wedding Day

Reception