A crumbling old house. That is the one place that means everything to me. On the steps of that once abandoned house, which seemed to protect me with its shadow, is where I met those bright blue eyes for the first time. The eyes that, at one point, became my home. All of my dreams were reflected in those seemingly all knowing eyes.

It was a warm summer day in which the sun gleamed in the sky when he sat next to me. He was wearing a ratty old t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans that seemed ready to fall off his hips, they were so big. His sneakers were falling apart from use but you could tell they were his favorite. He was eight, I was seven and I couldn’t help but admire the silly little grin he gave me when he saw me staring. I still remember being annoyed because he kept staring at me like if I was a strange creature. Little did I know that he was staring at me because he thought I was pretty and wanted to be my friend.

He started talking and I tried to ignore him to see if he went away but he didn’t. I realize now that his level of determination hasn’t decreased at all. He is just as stubborn now as he was at eight years old. I didn’t want to be rude anymore so I spoke to him and I found myself enthralled. He was the only person, apart from my brothers, that made me feel safe. He was funny and we formed a bond that day that hasn’t ever been broken. During the conversation he told me that he was an orphan just like me and when he saw how sad that made me he changed the subject.
“Come on.” He said. “Let’s walk on the beach” I just couldn’t say no. When we were walking we stumbled upon a shell necklace and he bent down to retrieve it. He looked at me and put it around my neck. “Here. Now you can always have something that will make you smile.” I’ve never taken it off.











We became best friends that day and as the years went by our bond strengthened. He was thirteen we he was adopted. His new parents were in their forties and were from Great Britain. They had five other children and were kind and loving to each one of them. I was so nervous when he told me that he wanted me to meet them. I wanted them to like me so they would allow me to see him. I was invited to dinner at their home and when I got there I was amazed. The house had two stories and hard wood floors. It reminded me of my home in Italy. The love in that house could be felt when you walked through the door. His mother, as I learned later, was born in London and was half Russian. His father was born and raised in the highlands of Scotland. It turns out that I was nervous for nothing. They seemed to genuinely like me and I liked them. They were good to Micah and that is all that I needed to know.

Every year, on the day that we met and became best friends, we returned to that house by the beach and just sat there like we did that day so long ago. We never really thought of ourselves as more than friends although everyone told us as we got older that we seemed to be a couple; we understood each other that well. He knew me better than I knew myself and I knew him better than anyone else. We found it hilarious that we could practically read each other’s minds.
It wasn’t until years later, after being best friends for so long, that we both realized that we had fallen in love. We had become each others safe haven. When we were together we didn’t have to pretend.
He made the first move and we started dating soon after. He asked me to be his girlfriend in front of that house. Our first date was a picnic in the place where we first met. A few years later I found myself in happy tears staring down at the man I loved as he proposed to me in the place where it all began. We bought that old house by the beach and restored it to its former glory so that we would never have to leave.
Now as I stare down at the child in my husband’s hands I feel blessed. I have an amazing life with the man of my dreams. Our baby girl looks just like Micah with those big blue eyes. I only dream that when our time comes to go to heaven, Micah and I will be in this exact spot. Sitting on the steps where we met, staring out into the sunset. I hope my future children and grandchildren experience what I have experienced because you need to love and be loved to live a full and happy life.

He looks at me and I look at him. That goofy smile that I love makes an appearance on his face and I can’t help but smile back. His eyes are my home and I never want to leave. I close my eyes and feel his arm wrap around me as I reach for the shell necklace around my neck. Yes, this house, which was once crumbling to the ground, means the world to me. Destiny brought me to this house and to Micah that day. Without this house I would have nothing.