Missed Connections

Any time I encounter an attractive male stranger who looks roughly my age, I’m already telling myself that this is a meet cute brought to me by destiny.

Last week in Asheville, mom and I witnessed the aftermath of a car accident right outside our hotel room. Initially, I was sure that the guy driving the now-totaled Subaru would be the one. He was cute and drove a Subaruhello.

That lasted about 5 minutes until his girlfriend showed up.

Gross.

Then the firemen showed up. Three of them. I could clearly see two of their faces, and they were definitely not soulmate material. But the third had his helmet on, so I didn’t have a clear shot, but there was a chance he was super, super cute.

He took the helmet off at last, and he was definitely cute. Once the chaos of the scene had calmed, this fireman kept taking his phone out and texting.

“He’s obviously just texting his mom to tell him he’s okay. He knows she worries with him having such a dangerous job. He’s so thoughtful,” I kept saying to my mom.

Yes, as a reminder, my mom and I were just staring out from our third floor hotel window, me running all of these scenarios through my head.

“Should I take him a cup of coffee? He’s probably really cold.”

Mom egged me on. “Go for it!”

I chickened out, and the next time we looked at the street, the firetruck, firemen, and my firefighting soulmate were gone.

On the drive home, as we crossed through the intersection where the accident had taken place, I said to mom, “Well, I could get us into a car accident and maybe he’d come back?”

A month ago, there was the pizza delivery guy. He couldn’t find the house, and had to call me before he arrived.

“He was really nice, and he might be cute…he sounded cute,” I said to my dad before the driver arrived.

He was cute.

“Well,” I thought, “I have his number….I could call or text him…”

(I didn’t.)

Last year, when the tree fell on the garage and driveway, totaling our cars along with it, the Geico Claims Adjuster paid us a visit.

Mom had done all of the talking to him ahead of time.

“He’s super nice, and he sounds like he might be cute, Tori!”

(Mom, I think you’re an enabler.)

ANY TIME I’m in an elevator with a cute guy.

“This…is…it!” – Me, to myself, my heart giddy.

*Guy looks at his phone the entire elevator ride and doesn’t even muster a “have a nice day” when he gets off*

When the internet isn’t working, and the Spectrum techs have to come out.

“Maybe it’ll be a cute guy!” – Me

When my dad gets back from the gym, and says he had the place all to himself, except for two guys who walked in as he was leaving.

“Were they cute?” – Me

When my parents get back from Costco.

“Was Cute Meat Guy working?” – Me

(I had the biggest crush on the butcher who worked at Costco when I was in high school. He’s been gone for a while, but I always ask.)

I also project this on my friends.

Last year, my friend lost her purse on New Year’s Eve. She woke up the next morning panic-stricken, until her phone rang. It was her insurance company saying they got a call from someone who found her abandoned bag.

A nice middle-aged man who was visiting his son in Charlotte found it, called the numbers on her insurance and AAA cards to try and get ahold of her, and arranged a time and place to meet. Since she had no car keys (ya know, the purse thing), I had to drive her.

Which meant for the entire ride, she was subjected to, “THIS GUY’S SON IS PROBABLY YOUR SOULMATE. What a great story!”

Destiny, I tell you!

(The guy’s son was married with a baby.)

With the holiday season upon us, and there being a little extra magic in the air, I thought I’d take a chance and pimp out my blog for my own personal Missed Connections corner.

So…if you happen to have any intel on a cute Asheville fireman or successful Dominos driver or the Geico claims adjuster or Cute Costco Meat Guy…or a handsome Internet installation guy…much appreciated if you sent it my way.

And hey, have a missed connection you want to put out into the world in hopes of re-encountering? I’d be delighted to share.

Actually, nothing would make me happier.

Curiously,
Tori