Meeting the Love of My Life DENISE M. MICHAELS GHOSTWRITER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, BOOK COACH Copyrighted Denise M. Michaels
Brown, shapely, masculine legs. That’s the first I saw of the man
Immediately my mind began strategizing. If I suggested going for a
who became my husband years later. That and a cheery voice with
swim the other women would fall away because they wouldn’t
an unrecognizable accent everyone seemed to know and like.
want to get their hair wet, I figured. I have good hair and didn’t
An hour earlier I arrived at Dana Point State Beach
care if it became wet in the salty water.
in southern California on a glorious Saturday afternoon in August,
“Who wants to go for a swim?” I asked.
1997 for a singles beach picnic. As I drove 45 minutes up the I-5
He didn’t miss a beat and piped up, “I’ll go,” he replied. As if on
freeway I felt an unusual sense of heightened, positive anticipation.
cue, the rest of the women fell away forming new clusters or sitting
I was even breathing differently, taking in air in big gulps. Yet I was
on the beach blanket nearby.
calm and harbored no strong expectations. Even if I met a new friend to hang with, that would be okay.
We walked down the soft, sandy beach into the water and stood
awkwardly at knee depth as wave after wave crashed over us. He
As often happens at singles events there were more women
asked questions and so did I in the getting to know you dance that
than men so I stood up and noticed a ring of women next to the
sometimes feels more like a job interview. Except his smile made
man with the cheerful voice and sexy, brown legs. I walked up to
me slightly weak in the knees. I learned he’s from India but he’d
the circle and nudged the woman next to me, “Introduce me,
been in the US many years and raised his two grown sons in south-
would you?” I whispered.
ern California. I wanted to know everything about him. He seemed
“This is Ernie,” she said. “Ernie, this is Denise.”
equally curious.
Our eyes locked onto each other like magnets. I was suddenly
We’d been in the water about thirty minutes so I suggest-
and unmistakably drawn to this man whose accent I didn’t recog-
ed walking down along the waters edge. There was so much to talk
nize but the warmth in his eyes and smile felt immediately like
about, so much to learn. Thousands of other people on the beach
home. I had to get him apart from this gaggle of other women so I
that day seemed to fall away and it was just us and the late after-
could get to know him better.
noon sun slowly descending toward the horizon. We contin-
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