Tom Downing

When I first saw my future wife Erin I had gone to a small (12 tables) family-run Mexican restaurant a few blocks from my house. I was in a huge hurry and didn't even notice the waitress when I ordered. Sometime during the meal she came by and offered to refill my water glass, which was a surprising thing since the service at this place was horrible but the food was excellent. When she spoke to me I noticed

first that it was the first Anglo voice I'd heard working there (she was the first non-family employee) and so I looked up at her.

I looked up directly into her eyes and I knew right then that I had been such an idiot not to notice her sooner. Everything else melted away and I do believe there was a beam of bright light shining on her. She asked me again if I wanted some more water and instead of hearing her voice it was like a chorus singing, you know, like "Ahhhh-hhhhhhhh!"

Like most people I've had this "love at first sight" kind of experience before but somehow this was different. I can't tell you why or how but it's just that I knew that we would end up together and the feeling was so strong that it scared me. Our first date about two months later (after I ate way too many chalupas and too much flan in working up the nerve to ask her out) was normal but the next three were just awful. I began to doubt my original feelings so much that I forgot about them until sometime later after we'd been going out for a few months and somebody asked how we met.

I don't know if anybody else reports this but Erin has taken several trips abroad and when I pick her up at the airport I hear the same music and see the same bright light as soon as I see her. Even some mornings when I kiss her good-bye I still feel that same surge of wonder when I think, "Yes, this is the person for me."