just a glimpse

It's wonderful how God has planned everything ahead of our time, and you never quite grasp when it all began or where it would go, what it could eventuate into, and the significance it would hold. That one particular moment when he rushed past me on the train didn't count, since we were strangers who just happened to catch the same train every now and then. That description could fit dozens of people I know.

It seemed so casual then, so silly when it is anything but that now. He was the highlight of my mornings, my eye candy, and the reason I saved money on petrol, as public transport suddenly became convenient. He was my biggest crush, the subject of my daily text to my best friend about that handsome guy on the train. No big deal.

Things got interesting when I handed that stranger my phone number. It was a momentary decision without any follow-up plans. The ball left my court, and I was confident it would bounce back. Maybe I was optimistic and romantic or just deluded and egotistical - whatever the reason, I was right to count on my instincts. We clicked on the very first phone call; our chemistry radiated through the mobile line, and I didn't hesitate when he asked to meet up the next day.

Two and a half years later, when we catch the train together now, my mind spins like a vintage movie reel, winding back the months and years to that initial encounter. It always strikes me as a little crazy, in a positive sense, that my spontaneous act had scripted the creation of something that would shape my life so dramatically down the track, like a speeding train. 

We’ve been dating for 18 months and while that’s not enough time to know with certainty that we want to spend the rest of our lives together, it has been enough for us to start considering it. We’ve come to understand our differences, get along famously, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting his family and falling in love with them too.

These days, I crave his mother’s cooking and can happily sit and watch television with his parents even when he’s not there. It’s also been enough time for me to realise that the first moment I laid eyes on him was the opening chapter of a wonderful story that, God willing, we may one day tell our children, and one day, their children.