HOW I MET YOU (#3) Mia & Jason

So many moments are given to us, and experiences offered to us yet the pivotal instance of a random encounter transforming into a profound one remains elusive. Isn’t it a mystery how every passing chance when you walk, exchanging glances with someone, you could unknowingly be on the brink of saying hello or goodbye or both to the love of your life? How can we be certain? When can we be certain? What factor does time play in the tension between these two extremes?

Mia’s POV

I had just recently joined church and I was eager to find a space to serve and belong in God’s family. This church granted me the privilege of meeting some remarkable people who became fundamental in my journey to this day.

Theo’s POV

The first time I saw her, I thought to myself, “She is beautiful” and I am certain every man who saw her reached the same conclusion. She had this unexplainable radiance in her that enamored me; her sparkling eyes, and radiant smile not forgetting her graceful nature as she moved about. She always looked good. After many occasions of seeing her from a distance, I finally got the opportunity to say hi to her.

“Hi, I am Theo,” I said as I stretched out my hand.

“I’m Mia,” she replied and she was quickly dragged off by her friends before I could put together the next strings of words to keep her around me for just a little bit longer. It looked like I was never going to get time with her. She was never alone. She was like a princess constantly surrounded by her helpers careful to pay attention to her every need. The cycle was never-ending; every time I saw her all I achieved was repeated hellos. I was slowly growing to be dissatisfied with these hellos and yet the tension was ridiculous because I just had this strong pull towards her and I didn’t even know if she had a boyfriend or not. I had this audacity and boldness that I would have done anything to speed up our interactions. On a random night, I saw her waiting by the church exit and I went ahead to ask her how she was going home and she curtly replied “No. I am good thanks.”

What did I expect? I was a stranger (to her) offering her a ride home. Of course, she would’ve said no.

TWO YEARS LATER

Theo’s POV

I wish I could say that I had faith our paths would cross again. Even though we were in the same church, we kept being pulled into different spaces until one day.

Seated at a local joint, I saw her with her friends and they seemed to be engrossed in the conversation and I could tell it was about Mia because of the way everyone kept talking to her as she tried to take in everything . She would nod at some statements and shake her head at some.

She kept looking in my direction and occasionally our eyes would meet. “Was she looking at me?” I was practically bursting with excitement on the inside. It felt like she was finally seeing me after all these years that I had kept my gaze fixed on her. It felt like my patience was finally bearing fruit. I felt like two years of waiting were about to transform into a beautiful love story.

I did what any normal person would do; utilize available resources; the free library of an individual’s shared information as is offered by social media. I started by searching for some of the friends I had seen her with since searching for her first name had yielded no results. I tried to find her page, but I couldn’t. There goes my hope, dissipating. This wave was becoming a tad bit depressing, I got closer to her only to be thrown back ten steps behind.

Mia’s POV

Theo was like a long-lost relative that you should know but for some reason, you just can’t seem to remember any initial interactions. Every time we talked, it felt like he was picking up from a previous conversation, and yet I had no recollection. It is like I was blinded and I wasn’t seeing anything and even the times we had met seemed to be blurred.

We saw each other at a friend’s wedding and unbeknownst to me, he had been counting on this day to pull out all his cards and ask for my number. He was part of the line-up and everyone around me (all the girls) were giddily talking about how fine he was (He is a fine man; anyone denying it would have to be blind) yet their remarks of him meant nothing to me. He was just Theo; a guy I have only exchanged hellos with, seen a couple of times, and one who for some reason seems to be showing up in my life at the most unexpected times. I thought nothing of it.

Theo’s POV

At the wedding

I scanned the room looking for her. I couldn’t see her. Where had she gone? How could a split second rob me of a chance to further our interactions? Was this it? How many chances had I had yet they seemed to quickly evaporate? Was this the final stroke of the end of the story that hadn’t even been written? It was exasperating.

That evening

I talked to my friends about how my plans had been thwarted when she left and even between the jokes here and there, it looked like there was truly nothing to cling to. It felt like my attempts kept being rendered impossible and a voice kept shouting to give up and you can say that I was like that man screaming at Jesus Son of David to heal him while the disciples and the crowd urged him to shut up. (John 18:38-43). It had been two years. What was the point?

Nonetheless, a part of my heart was still crying out like the blind man even when reality beckoned me to close that door. My heart was desperate, and this measure of faith that I didn’t even know I had led me to verbally ask my friends about a random user who had just followed me on Instagram, only to realize it was her!

That marked the beginning of our journey. DMs turned to Phone calls. Phone calls turned to Dates. Dates turned into a commitment. A commitment we are still bound to; to this day.

Mia’s POV

“Pray for your husband” my mum would always say. I was keen to do so in the earlier years but the thought would be pushed further away from me and I could barely remember the details yet getting to know Theo with time proved to me that what I had prayed for was who he was (and still is), Prayers work. We may not see it in the moment but everything we present to God in accordance to His will is guaranteed to happen at His best timing and in His perfect way.