Three days after our Craigslist e-mail conversations, we had a sushi dinner date. Neither of us wanted a relationship so our walls were down and our true personalities showed. We spoke of tattoos, oranges, unagi and other random topics.

In the middle of the meal he gulped his water and then allowed it to dribble onto this shirt. Yes, he purposely drooled on himself. Rather than being mortified, I laughed.

When I got home that night and recapped the night to family, I stated that he was the cutest nerd I had ever seen. I thought to myself I could definitely see myself being with him for a long time if not forever. I was right.

—Curly K

Postscript: Three years later we’re so very in love, married and loving life together.

5

I had dated him for a short time a few years back, and it didn’t work out. I went out to a bar with my roommate and proceeded to get very drunk. I saw him, said hello, and told him to come back to my place with me. He was gone when I woke up hungover the next morning, and I was actually grateful for it. Later that day, he called my roommate’s phone (I never gave him my number) and asked to come hang out and watch Family Guy with me. I thought there must be something special about a guy who still wants to be with me when I’m at my worst.

—Melanie

Postscript: It’s been 3 years and we just got engaged. Sometimes you gotta give a guy another chance.

2

I knew him since I was 13. I was the ugly fat chick with braces and fuzzy hair. I worked with him and we were friends, but just friends. I didn’t think he could like a girl like me. I was 200 pounds. I had a crush on him though. While working together he told me he was going to marry Gretchen Wilson someday, which was funny since I love Gretchen and her song “Redneck Woman.” Anyway we started going out after I ended a bad relationship. But he started acting distant, then he told me he had something to tell me, he told me he loved me, this was at 18. We got married 9-6-06. On our wedding day I was 145 pounds and am now 130. I know he loves me because he stood by me through thick and thin.

—Charity

Postscript: Three years together and still in love, just bought a house. I’m still his redneck woman.

9

I met him through a friend of mine – he happened to be dating her at the time, and from the moment I laid eyes on him, I hated him. He was persistent in talking to me, even if we fought constantly, and eventually he started to grow on me a little. I didn’t realize how much until one night, in a moment of total stupidity, we ended up in a threesome with a mutual friend that ended up getting cut short… and when we were supposed to pick up where we left off the next day, the other girl never showed, we made incredible love, and have never looked back.

—Kayla

Postscript: We’re getting married, and going to have the most incredible life together ever.

3

Three months into our relationship and we had both gotten a bad case of food poisoning and it was coming out both ends. He got better before I did, but one day we were driving home and I asked him to pull over so I could vomit. He had to pull over three other times during the drive. On the last time, 50 feet from my apartment, I had to get out and vomit…I also pooped my pants. I knew it was love when he set down a shirt for me to sit on and let me get back into his car.

—C.O.

Postscript : We’ve been married almost a year.

19

She’d said good food made music inside her head, and sometimes when she ate something good she’d swing her fingers like an orchestra conductor’s wand. We had two friends over, one of whom had brought a pet dog. I saw her in the kitchen preparing a snack tray, and the dog went in to investigate. She popped a snack in her mouth and swung her fingers to the music. Then she popped a snack in the dog’s mouth and swung her fingers in front of the dog’s nose so he could hear the music.

—Mark

Postscript: We’ve been married 7 years now.

20

We were dating for a few months when he said “elephant shoe” to me at a friend’s barbecue. I was lost and had no idea what it meant. So I nervously laughed it off. One of my friends overheard our conversation, shook his head and said, “He said, ‘I love you!’ ” The whole time he was smiling and looking at me. (But he did yell at my friend for ruining the moment.)

—Stuck

Postscript: It lasted two years. I left him because I thought he stopped loving me. It turns out, he never did. He continued to be my Superman and rock, even after the breakup.

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