i've seen you before

“I’ve seen you before,” said the Italian.

“You have?”

“Yes, in my dreams.”

Ha! He stole the words from my mouth.

But I ask you, honestly, how is a girl really supposed to respond to such a statement?! What do men expect to accomplish with such absurdities? (Luke Keller knows that he’d receive a slap to the face should he attempt his ... “Is this seat taken?” as he stands next to a girl with his hand in her back pocket.) And what of the fellow sitting in the corner by the window stirring his coffee, tapping his cigarette, staring at me? What does he really think is going to come of it? Life is not a French movie. I’m not going to return the look, motion for him to come and join my friend and I at our table, let him buy me a coffee, and then go dancing with him. What’s going through their heads?!!

Bleh! No, thank you.

Perhaps I should switch my purity ring to my left hand when I’m in public. I only moved it to my right hand when my mother admonished me a few years ago. She was convinced that I would never get married as long as I displayed my silver band on my left ring finger.

“But, Mama ... I don’t want someone to just want me at first sight. He must get to know the real me, and once he does he’ll know that I’m not married.”

“Yes, but a good man will see the ring and out of respect for the man he thinks you belong to, he will stay away, then what?”

I saw her point, but the ring stayed put. ... until ...

One day I was walking past the student mailboxes at college and I overheard two guys talking. “No way, man. Don’t you see the ring? She’s married.”

I didn’t see who the guys were, nor did I care. But as I left the building I whipped the ring off my left hand and planted it on my right hand’s ring finger.

The move, however, has done little to affect my single status. This I’m convinced is part of God’s sovereign plan. No, no, hear me out. I’m seriously convinced that I’m not called to ...

... date.

Does that seem odd to you? It seems quite natural to me. I’m not certain how to explain it. But I’ve never exactly been in an environment where dating was common place. For goodness sakes, I was homeschooled in Germany throughout high school. And in college ... none of the art crowd really dated, we all just hung out.

Is it possible to just get married, then? Forego dating entirely? I think so. I’ve even jokingly given my parents permission to arrange my marriage. Out of all people I think they know me best and I trust their judgment. This caused a 15 year-old from my church to become quite upset. Never had he heard of such a thing! He was really quite concerned for my well-being. I began to point out all the benefits of arranged marriages, and I believe that in the end I really had him quite enamored with the idea. But I was just joking ... or was I?

Oh, I’m not exactly sure how it’s all going to come about. Perhaps we’ll be serving in a ministry together somewhere in Croatia and decide that our partnership should last “as long as we both shall live.” Whatever the case, of this I’m certain ... It will be a great story to tell the kids.