As I walked to the garbage in the Chick-Fil-A lobby to throw away my trash, I passed by a member of my school’s basketball team and gave a polite smile. “Kid’s meal?” he asked with a slight smirk.“You know it!” I chuckled.
I had no idea back then that that was the first conversation I would have with the love of my life. At that time, he was just a guy on the basketball team who didn’t even attend our school, and I was just the coach’s daughter. But as the basketball season went on, I began to notice things about this 6’3” homeschooled athlete. He had a tendency to constantly work harder than any other player on the team. He never boasted about his abilities, nor complained about other players’ inabilities. He had a heart of gratitude and humility towards his coaches and fellow players. These traits were refreshing to witness, and near the end of the basketball season I decided to try and cultivate a healthy friendship. With that decision, I invited a variety of people to play basketball after school one day, including him. He was the only one who accepted the offer, so for about two hours, we played basketball and got to know each other.
I have never shared so much personal information with a person I barely knew. I do not know what it was, but there was something about him that made me automatically trust him with even the stupid and embarrassing things no one else knew about. He had this calm and friendly presence that gave me no choice but to entrust him with things I had not told my closest friends. I was, as usual, an awkward mess during our first full conversation, but I felt safe being the mess that I was. It was unlike any other encounter I had ever had, but it was just a game of basketball and some chit chat.
Soon after forming this friendship, I had a realization that I wanted this to grow into something more. I was hesitant, yet bold. Though I had my doubts, I remained hopeful. In the spring of the year, after we had had a few lengthy conversations about pretty much everything, I invited him to the school’s production of King Arthur, where I was cast to play the role of Morgan LeFay. By this point, I had had many conversations about this boy with the people I trusted most. I wanted to ensure that if this friendship grew into something more, that I got it right.
After the play was complete, the ensemble went out to a restaurant as a celebration for what we did together. He happened to be the ride home for five of the younger members of the ensemble, so though he had no part in the production itself, he was there. As we all left the restaurant, he invited me to go with him and his friends to McDonald’s. Excited to see where God was taking this, I accepted, and it became clear to me, and everyone in my ensemble, that our feelings were mutual.
In the next few weeks, it was clear to both of us that we liked each other, but we were too shy to act on things. After graduation, we hung out a few times before we got the courage to blatantly talk about our feelings. I expressed my desire to do things the right way, and about a week later, he went to my father and asked for permission to date me. Since then he’s become more than just a boy. He’s my sense of calm, my strong and steady shoulder, and my best friend. This boy, who I first talked to because of a kid’s meal, has become my partner, my person, and the most beautiful blessing I have ever received.
Photo by Kara Follett
