There are as many ways to know a person is “the one” as there are happy couples. But surely one good way is to see how you react to each other in adverse situations. Some adversity, both small and large, helped Mike and Dana see they were meant to be together.
It was raining hard in the Philadelphia area they both live, as the twentysomethings prepared for their first date. Between work obligations and the weather, Dana ended up forty-five minutes late to the restaurant. Mike not only understood and took it in stride, he later turned the weather to his advantage. After dinner, as they had to watch the downpour and contemplate the merits of a mad dash to their respective cars, he used the brief interlude to ask her on a second date. She accepted.
Mike waited through a rainstorm on the first date, and Dana would later be at Mike's side in the hospital.
The second instance was more serious, and it came after they’d gone out several more times. Mike came down with appendicitis. It was Dana who not only rushed him to the hospital, but was at his side through the surgery and his eventual recovery. Her compassion and care gave Mike a pretty good sense that he’d found the woman he was looking for.
These instances of adversity shouldn’t overshadow the good lives both Mike and Dana brought to each other though. Each was happy in their work, Mike as an accountant and Dana as a therapist. Each was close to their family and each had a lot of hobbies they enjoyed. It enabled them to have the security of not “needing” a significant other, but simply desiring someone to share their good fortune with.
Dating was one area where good fortune hadn’t been forthcoming, and it brought Mike to CatholicMatch. He found Dana’s profile and they exchanged emotigrams, which turned into messages, which turned into dinner on a rainy night in Philly.
During a Mass at Villanova, Mike gave Dana the kind of simple smile that always made her feel loved.
