One day, we decided to explore Gloucester Cathedral, which I'd wanted to see even before it was the Great Hall in the Harry Potter films. For a girl whose college art final self-portrait was a drawing of me as part of a Gothic Cathedral, visiting one of England's largest was a real treat.

Somewhere between a lecture on the Perpendicular style and a peek at medieval lavatories, Tim got a text from his friend, Ian, saying that he (Ian) had just found out he was losing his job. I felt sorry for the guy, or as sorry as you can feel for someone you've never met. Apparently, this guy had encouraged Tim quite a bit to go ahead and pursue Becca, so he was obviously a good guy.

That night, Becca, Tim, and I went downtown to meet a few more of Tim's friends. As it turned out, the most significant meeting of my life did not take place in a Gothic Cathedral, on a mountaintop, or in a castle. It took place in a little pub in Cheltenham and I wasn't wearing a fancy dress or anything fancy at all, for that matter. I was wearing an over-sized old man's sweater that I'd picked up for $1 at a Goodwill in Mississippi as a Christmas gift for my brother. My brother had kindly refused it.

I met a guy in skinny jeans and a fedora and then Becca promptly sat down in between us. So, this couldn't have been the one, could it? We didn't talk much, but it turned out that the stylish guy was Ian, one of Tim's best friends. I admired the way he handled the news about his job, though he was obviously not happy about the loss. I found myself wondering later that night what I would've said to him about losing his job if he was my guy. As a brand-new acquaintance, I couldn't say much more than "sorry," but I wished I could do more... Then I realized what I was doing and kicked myself back into reality to finish reading the 34th chapter of Ezekiel and go to sleep.



The following days were full of lots more charming English atmosphere, punctuated by Becca daily, pointedly asking Tim when we'd be able to hang out with Ian again. "Give up," I wanted to say. While I appreciated her efforts on my behalf, I knew that just because a guy makes a point of talking to me doesn't mean he's interested in me beyond the end of our conversation, no matter how sincere he appears. I stomped on my hopes, put him out of my head, and threw myself back into my fight for contentment.


I guess Saturday was the day I finally got my miracle...