A few days ago, Jacob and I celebrated the anniversary of the day that we met: September 19, 2004. I don't remember the moment very well, and had to figure out the date years later, but September 19th has turned into a very significant date for me nonetheless.
I'm still amazed, every day, that I'm lucky enough to know Jacob. That he fell in love with me and married me is unfathomable.
He amazed me from the beginning. He was so completely unlike anyone I had ever met before. One time, when I barely knew him, I asked him what he wanted to be. With my background growing up in northern Virginia, I was asking, of course, for his choice of profession. Instead, he answered, "I want to be poor and in love." I was so surprised, I think I walked away. I was too selfish and greedy at the time to understand him.
We were great friends long before we started dating. It took me a while to consent to a relationship, not because of Jacob specifically. He just happened to come along during a time when I was particularly bitter towards boys, and had convinced myself to never seriously date anyone. But I adored Jacob. I adored him so much that I tried setting him up with one of my roommates, whom I also adored. In my mind, that was the only quality that mattered in a relationship. I was hopelessly disappointed that things didn't work out between them.
One night, Jacob showed up at my apartment while I was reading a textbook and fighting sleep. I was bored out of my mind. He took the book out of my hands and read out loud to me until it was curfew and he had to leave. I remember looking at him at one point and absolutely knowing, deep in my heart, that whomever married Jacob would be the luckiest woman in the world. There was no inclusion of myself in the thought - I was still working on Jacob + my roommate, and was content that she would be the lucky one. It would be another several months before I started hoping to hold that position myself. But it's amazing to me that I knew so early on what a miracle it would be to win Jacob's heart. Years later, when I told Jacob that story, he told me that he remembered that night well. He had kept his mouth shut, but had watched and actually seen a transition happen in my eyes, and knew that something had changed for us.
We tried dating other people for months, but no one was fooled. Though I hadn't admitted it to myself yet, everyone else knew that we loved each other. I had dozens of people tell me that Jacob and I were going to get married, months before we started dating. I ignored them the best that I could.
Finally, after one particularly horrific date with another fellow, I sought out Jacob to complain and be comforted. We went on a walk - and under the cover of trees and the watch of the stars, he told me that he loved me. It was the beginning of a new life for me. Happiness, which had always been so delicate, was suddenly and unceasingly overflowing - and hasn't stopped yet.
But it all dates back to that first meeting, six years ago - because even if we hadn't fallen in love and married, I would count September 19th as a wonderful day in my life. Just knowing him is a greater gift than I could have asked for.
