Serendipity

It was a hot sweaty summer, and I went to my appointed Jury Duty location around 8 am in the morning with shorts and a tank top. It was not my best appearance. My hair was in a bun and I carried my expresso from the local coffee shop on one hand, and my super heavy handbag on the other. I shoved magazines and books, and a daily planner in there incase I had any time to read while waiting to be called. Last I heard there was no dress code. As I went through security. I was somewhat relieved that I atleast will get a break from my daily routine of teaching science to middle school students. Those kids were getting loud and hyper as we were approaching summer.

After I checked in, I found a seat, and opened my magazine on cooking vegan meals. As I was reading, I saw this man walk in, with dark hair, and broad sholders. He had a strong jawline and strong arms, and I immediately noticed his eyes. I had wished I had dressed better that morning. To my surprise, out of all the seats in the room, he chose the one right next to me. I could smell his cologne; it was a little rustic, and I felt butterflies just sitting next to him. I continued to pretend that I was focused on reading, but I definitely noticed his strong muscles in between. After about an hour, he spoke and said, "Do you know a good place to eat lunch around here?" I looked up at him, and he had a funny grin on his face, and his book was backwards. I said that I am not familiar with the area, and mumbled that I had avoided going to Jury Duty for some time, and now I was basically forced to come in. He said his name is Tom, and he shared that he is a construction worker. We talked about our jobs for a while.

It was time for lunch. He asked if I wanted to join him. I was pleasantly surprised. Of course I said yes, and tried not to sound excited. He said he could drive me as the place near the court was confusing and had a ton of winding roads. We settled to have lunch at a sandwich shop. He told me about his life. He was divorced, and had a child. He showed me a picture of his son. It felt like we knew eachother for years as we opened up about our life over 45 minutes. We went to grab ice cream, and I had some on my lips apparently. I blushed as he wiped it off my face. We had to go back to the court.

As we were waiting, we kept talking. I never thought I would love Jury Duty that much! Unfortunately, they called me in to the courtoom, and Tom was excused. We had to be separated. We looked at eachother in sadness as our short time together was interrupted with a murder case. I was devastated. How in the world would I run into him?

After being in court for a few hours, I came outside, and decided it was just meant to be a short encounter with a stunningly handsome man for a very brief portion of my life. My luck with men was not the greatest. The last guy I dated cried after watching the "Notebook" and went and sat outside in the rain after the movie ended.

As I approached my car, I saw a piece of paper on my windshield. I was surprised as to why I would get a ticket at Jury Duty; Is this what I get for doing my civic duty?!

It was not a ticket. It was a note from Tom. He wrote his # on there, and asked me to call him so that he could take me out on a real date. My heart swelled up with joy. That evening I text him, and we met the next day at an italian restaurant, and shared endless conversations over spaghetti and garlic bread.

That night, Tom kissed me deeply, and I felt weak in his arms. I was not bothered by his past; I knew it would be complicated, but for once, i felt a connection with him that I never knew before. We saw eachother over the next few months atleast 3 times a week. I met his son, and I swooned as I saw how close he was with him. Tom made a great father.

Later , Tom and I became exclusive, and we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Tom told me that his ex wife had cheated on him with a former boyfriend. He had felt betrayed, and never thought he would find love again, but he shared that he loved me. We got married after two years, at a small church in New York with just close friends and family. Tom did not want to have a huge wedding ceremony due to his past. We read our vows to eachother, and we stuck to them throughout the years. During our fifth wedding anniversary, I was pregnant with his child. We were going to have a daughter.

Sometimes, I look back and wonder how lucky I am to have met Tom, and what would have happened if I had tried to avoid Jury Duty on that random summer day. We decided to name our daughter, "Serendipity" as we felt that summarized our relationship, and was the reason behind why she was born. The day she was born my heart was filled with joy and happiness at how this one happen chance encounter had let to this. I believed in destiny after that, and became grateful for all the random encounters and occurences in my life.

As Serendipity grew older, we shared the story of how her father and I met, and she was amazed at how destiny played such a role in our lives. She and Tom's son developed a close relationship as siblings, and we couldn't have been happier about the outcome. Although we faced challenges as a family, and a couple, we always reminded eachother of how blessed we were to have found one another.