Lindsey sat on her front porch wiping the tears from her eyes. Through the blur, the night was clear. Stars filled they sky, the moon shone bright, and the breeze whistled through the trees. It seemed almost cruel for a night such as that would be ruined by a heartless boy.

She wondered how someone could be so mean. He stole her heart, cheated on her with another girl, and then broke up with her after a date. What is the point of love if you only get hurt by it?

***

Lindsey had heard this story dozens of times, and so had the kids, but they never tired of hearing how mom and dad met. Nathan, her caring and loving husband, began:

“It was spring. The flowers were in bloom and the world was beautiful. Nothing could keep my attention more than a few minutes, except…”

Their kids leaned in expectantly, fully knowing what happened next but hearing it like it was new.

“This beautiful lady walked by me,” Nathan continued, “She caught and held my attention. She stood tall and proud with her head held high. Her blue eyes showed past love and loss. Her hair was neither blonde nor brunette, but a mix. It flowed over her shoulders like water over a cliff, graceful, stunning, and even possibly harmful.

I approached this amazing woman knowing all too well the probability of rejection, and yet continuing anyway. I quickly learned her name and she mine. We exchanged numbers and parted. At first I didn’t call her, but after a few days of only thinking of her, I decided to call and ask her on a date.

We quickly became best friends and then more. Day by day, I realized the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was already spending her life with me.”

The kids wore smiled of insurmountable joy. As Lindsey looked from the kids faces to her husband’s, she saw in his eyes the same feeling she felt that day they exchanged names and numbers.

***

Lindsey thought about this. This one boy who broke her heart this time would be nothing in her future. He wouldn’t even compare to that boy who will cherish her and her wounded heart.

She arose from the steps, glanced out into the sky and smiled. He would wait for her and she would wait for him, her true love.