Angie

Welcome back Searching for Love readers! I still hope that these entries of my sister’s quest for true love has a happy ending. My sister’s belief that there is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime connection to be found, a soul mate as you will. After so many years of failed relationships I admit that at times my faith in Angie’s convictions of finding her one true love has been shaken. And I know some of you have been asking about if I have a special someone and it would be great to find a special connection with someone but it hasn’t happened for me yet. And I don’t think it means that they are going to be my one and only and everything will magically fall into place.

And so here I sit on my bed, in the apartment I share with Angie, and I find my thoughts drifting back to her first date. I was 13 when I watched Angie enter into the world of 16 year old dating. The smile on her face when Dave Johnson picked her up on her first date was pure bliss. 

He didn’t ask her out again. And she seemed unfazed by it. I was devastated enough for the both of us. As time passed and she flitted from one boyfriend to the next, helplessly and hopelessly falling madly and devotedly in love with each one; I felt my own heart sadden. If my die-hard romantic sister was having such a hard time finding her one true love with all her buckets of optimism, how was I supposed to when I doubted it even existed at all?

Now, ten years later, I still watch my sister flit from guy to guy, always in love. After all, she flits around so well. A part of me has begun to wonder how she can put her whole heart into each relationship only to have it broken. Does the human heart have the capacity to be endlessly broken and still survive intact and undamaged in love when the one finally comes?

As I said, I still look at Angie and I find myself hoping for both her sake and my own that she finds her once-in-a-lifetime forever connection. Yesterday’s date has promise. After the guy came to pick her up, with me spying from the doorway of my bedroom, I knew that of all the dates my sister had been on recently this was one worth looking in on.

After she put down the little white flower that he’d brought her they headed out. Maybe it sounds a little creepy of me but I was thrilled as I watched from our tiny living room window when he opened the car door for her. Even my wary heart did a little fluttery pitter patter.

And I find myself wanting to clarify that I wasn’t some creepy stalker following my sister and her date. I may have followed them to the restaurant but I was only there for a few minutes before I headed home. What truly gives me real hope was Angie’s reaction to the date when she got home.

It was the first time in years I didn’t have to wait to pry information out of her the next morning at breakfast. 

I had been laying around reading and pretending I had been there all night when the apartment door slammed open, before she came bouncing into my room. She only made it a few steps in before she blinked and moved back to the doorway. I must have looked like I was sleeping or she hadn’t seen my book because the next thing I knew I heard her softly calling out.

“Hadley? Are you awake?” 

Too surprised to say anything I nodded. She never came to see me after her dates. Either it was usually too late and she assumed I’d be asleep or she would be sad and not want to talk. This new post-first-date Angie was intriguing to me. For a second I wondered if I’d not watched them on their date long enough, but quickly I checked myself. I was not going to be that nosy of a sister.

“I found him!” She declared. “Tyler O’Connell is the dreamiest, sweetest, more considerate man I have ever met! He’s the one.” 

I continued to stare. Was it really that easy to know? She’d never told me that anyone else was the one before. I didn’t know how to respond. 

“Hadley, say something.” Angie demanded as she came in and flopped on my bed as if crashing in my room for a girly chat about boys was commonplace.

“Does he know?” It was all I could manage to think to say.

“Know what?” Her bubbly cheer rebounding in my small space, not the least bit dampered by my less than enthusiastic response.

“Did you tell him you thought he’s the one?” I cringed, hoping and praying that she hadn’t. There had been a few long past boyfriends that she had become attached way too fast and they had ran the other way, leaving my sister a sobbing mess.

“Of course not.” Angie flopped onto my bed with a sigh, “I’ve learned something after dating all this time.”

I breathed. Maybe this one would last and she could find out for sure if he actually could be the one.

“So what did he do that has you convinced? Doesn’t it take longer than a few hours to know these kind of things?” I questioned, eager and curious to know. I wasn’t exactly overflowing with any sort of experience and I knew I would be writing this all to you.

Thus began Angie’s thorough evaluation of the evening, beginning with the fact that he came to the door with a daisy, continued with how he opened every door for her, seemed actually interested in what she was saying and even escorted her to her door at the end without demanding a goodnight kiss as payment for the evening. And yes, that has happened once or twice to my dear naive sister.

So readers, does true love exist? Is Tyler the one?

*Searching for Love is a fictional blog written by my fictional character Hadley