One of my dear friends and old co-workers had the worst of luck meeting desirable or even normal men. She would meet men through friends, in pubs/coffee shops and even online, but after a date or two either they would stop calling, she would find them stupid or unattractive or they would both realize they were a horrible match and laugh about it.

True Canadian Wilderness

On a Friday afternoon in July, Michelle announced her plans for the weekend with a very unexcited tone. She would be going north of Toronto, around Barrie for a friend’s birthday at a rented cottage. While being in nature was exciting, hanging out with Michelle’s friends for the whole day and feeding mosquitos was not her favourite past time. Therefore, it came as a shock when on the following Monday morning she announced that she had a Boyfriend!

This surprising news (under normal circumstances would be exciting) but in this case, it was a bit of a fairytale. I mean who do you know leaves work on a Friday completely single and slightly annoyed at the prospect of spending the entire weekend with strangers comes in on the next Monday in a happy relationship, literally overnight?

However, it did happen and again, not in the way you would imagine. For starters, Michelle did not wear makeup that day as she thought she was hanging out with “girls only” and in nature, who needs perfume, mascara and all other beauty products. Secondly, she was dressed to go to the gym at best. Why ruin good clothes she thought! But that did not deteriorate Duncan, actually thats what made him pay attention to her. Unlike other girls she was real, so real that he wanted to get to know her.

By asking her a bunch of questions, Duncan was satisfying his curiosity but it annoyed Michelle. She was not sure why he was not leaving her alone (being a bit of a loner, she enjoys quiet walks). After he explained to her all about American Muscle cars, she was thinking of an escape. However, as the walk continued, there was a small kitten that was lost on the side of the road. While everyone else just continued to walk ignoring the poor creature, Duncan picked it up and asked everyone what he should do with it. Michelle who is a strong supporter of animal rights started to pay closer attention and realized that maybe she misjudged this car loving guy.

The next day, Duncan gave Michelle a call and they met up for dinner. But even here it did not go as you would expect. The expectation of him picking her up with flowers and taking her to a nice dinner to the point where the credits roll “and they lived happily ever after” did not happen. He showed up in what Michelle described the “Ugliest shirt on the planet”, quickly she hesitated but being a nice person that she is, she decided to overlook this superficial trait.

At the end of the evening, it was clear to both that they found that special someone. Duncan could not be happier and Michelle was love struck to the point that she was in complete shock as she was telling me this story.

Needless to say, they have been inseparable ever since. The kitten was given to its owner a few hours later. The ugly shirt which survived a year of their relationship was finally thrown out during the “moving in together phase”. And everyone who knows them  can say that they have seen a miracle in this world that was not created by Hollywood.