We had met exactly three times before--the first time was a week earlier at the La Cruz Market, where I tasted her delicious brownies for the very first time; the second was two nights later at a jam session in El Patio de Mi Casa; and the third was on a Sunday night at the house of our mutual friend Ché (she was visiting Ché's roommate Christian). That night, it was clear that there was a potential connection so the following day, on April 28, 2014, I called and invited Denise to dinner and to my relief she accepted.
We sat at Archie's Wok in Puerto Vallarta and talked about everything under the sun. I was then, as I am today, stunned by how easy it is to talk with her, how easily she laughs and how much she makes me think and feel and enjoy our moments together. I remember that we talked for 90 minutes before ordering; I remember that we kissed before the food arrived. Denise remembers it differently, but no matter--origin stories are often the most disputed by couples.
So that night, one year ago, we began our relationship. Both of us had each already decided to move to San Miguel de Allende at the end of July--a return home for me and her quest to spend more time with her mother who lives here. I wasn't really looking, and she wasn't really looking. But of course the universe has a way of stepping in and opening your eyes at the right time.
I love her beautiful, intelligent and creative daughters; I love her gorgeous and tough mother Karen and her loveably cranky stepdad Steve; I love her thoughtful and talented father Peter and her charismatic stepmom Annette; I love her uncles, aunts, nieces, cousins, her cat...eyah, I'm that guy, totally smitten.
A few weeks ago, I asked Denise to marry me and she said yes. We don't have a date set--sometime in the next year. It was a request I didn't think I'd ever ask anyone else again in my lifetime, but it has turned out to be one of the most significant questions I've ever asked. I've had an incredibly lucky and rich life, sometimes in spite of myself. To arrive at this point when I assumed that true love was all behind me...I am grateful, happy to be living in the moment and looking forward to the next moment, and the next and the next.
Happy anniversary, Denise--I love you!
