I remember the first time we met, it was raining like the heavens were at war with men, and I remember thinking what if the world was going to become Noah 2.0. As disturbing as that was, a more deep-seated dread snaked down my spine.

Walking from school drenched in my uniform was not a good idea, and my mum was sure going to be pissed. But you see, I had seen you running in the rain with your friends, and wanted to experience the freedom and joy I saw on your face.

I remember that day vividly, and even if you didn’t see me, I would later tell you about it, and you thought it was pretty funny. By the way, my mum wasn’t as angry as I thought, and her excellent mood became something I would later associate with you.

Time went by, and I didn’t get to see you again, until another rainy day. This time, rather than running in the rain, you stood under a shed waiting for it to stop, and I realized my moment had come.

I remember walking up to you, introducing myself, and the look in your eyes clearly said I was too forward. But you see, at that point, I had carried your face etched in my memory, and nothing was going to make me let you slip away.

I won you over with the story of how we first met, and although you wouldn’t call it a meeting, it was enough for you to open the door to me. That day, a beautiful story of friendship and love began, and while I would love to say that the rest became history, it wasn’t that way with us.

I remember that we bonded over our love for the little things that made life worthwhile. We both had a deep love for movies, nature, the dream of traveling to Italy on vacation, and strong faith in the existence of the one who made us.

We were two peas in a pod, but different in a lot of ways. Our differences kept things exciting and kept us together for an infinite number of years, plus one.

I remember the first time you said you loved me; it was also the day you asked if I’ll be yours forever. I remember because you had no ring, and were going away from me the next day, in service to our country.

We both cried, we both laughed; we had several push-and-pull moments, but I refused to give you an answer. You promised to come back for it but never did because that was where I chose to pause our story.

These are the things I would love to remember when I finally meet the boy I saw running in the rain. I want to think that all this happened to us, and he came back to me.

I want to think I said yes, we got married, became parents-of-two, and traveled to Italy. I want to believe that we grew old together, and in the end, I’d like to remember the beautiful life we built, which I’ll remember until I breathe my last.