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| The Good Guy Gets the Greatest Girl |
| by Ellen Braunstein |
by Jeff and Jenna as told to Ellen Braunstein, writer of
www.courtship-stories.com
“Are you ready to possibly begin the first
day of the rest of your life? I am!”
I was ready when I saw those words in
Jeff’s ad on Match.com, but I didn’t know
it at the time. I knew I wasn’t
meeting the “good guys” at the gym or
through friends. So I joined the Internet
dating service in April 2004. But even the
men I met online weren’t for me.
I filled out a Match.com personality test
and would regularly receive emails with
profiles of men who could be compatible
with me. On Monday, August 9, I saw a
profile of a guy who lived in her hometown.
Sounds good, I thought. I read on.
“At the gym most week nights,” Jeff wrote
under the screen name Porter10.
I’m a gym rat, I thought.I needed to work off the excesses
of my sweet tooth.
"I love to fish,” his ad continued. “I
enjoy taking my boat on the ocean or local
lakes. Anyone interested in a killer tan
and lots of fun?”
I was picky. I was fun,happy-go-lucky and open to new and
different things. Here was a guy with a
sincere smile, lots of energy and a sense
of adventure. Why not give it a try?
“So you like to fish!” I wrote under
my screen name gemini2975. “Believe it or
not – I actually like it too as long as I
don't have to touch what I catch! I got my
first fishing pole when I was 4! My parents
have a summer house on a lake so I used to
fish with my grandfather, Poppi. However, I
have never tried ocean fishing so I’m not
sure I could keep up with those big boys!
But I love the sun!
Both of us were having a hard time meeting people.
My Internet dates hadn’t amounted to much either.
But the email from gemini2975 looked
promising. I wanted someone energetic,
intelligent, giving and supportive. Jenna's
letter showed that she liked what she saw
in my profile.
Through an email exchange, we discovered
that we shared similar views on life. A photo
I sent showed off her nice smile and
attractive figure. Her condo
was only five miles away.
Time to meet, I thought. I emailed
Jenna and asked her out for drinks on
Thursday, August 19. I was excited. She
seemed down-to-earth. She had an attitude
that life is short. You have to live it as
best you can. That was good to hear.
I remember the first time I saw
Jeff in the parking lot of an Italian
restaurant. He was cute . . . adorable, in
fact. I remember thinking I got the
physical attraction thing out of the way.
That night at Vinny Testas, we laughed
and talked about what we liked to do for
fun. She was very pretty. Her hair was up,
a nice tan. She was very positive, outgoing, a lot of smiles.”
After a few drinks, we went back to Jeff's
house so he show me his newly-constructed patio lit by garden
torches. There were definitely sparks,”
I thought this could be one of the good guys.
I remember the first time I saw Jeff in the parking lot of an Italian
restaurant. He was cute . . . adorable, in
fact. I remember thinking I got the
physical attraction thing out of the way.
That night at Vinny Testas, we laughed
and talked about what we liked to do for
fun. She was very pretty. Her hair was up,
a nice tan. She was very positive, outgoing, a lot of smiles.”
After a few drinks, we went back to Jeff's
house so he show me his newly-constructed patio lit by garden
torches. There were definitely sparks. I thought this could be one of
the good guys.
I couldn’t wait to tell my sister,
Heather. She has seen me date the
not-so-great guys and get my heart broken.
I told her, "Jeff is a great guy and I know
you will really like this one."
Jenna and I saw each other again Saturday night. We ate chicken salads
from Chili’s around the fire pit on the
patio. Then we watched an awful movie
that I had rented. Jenna must have known
we had a future together when she told me,
"That’s the last time I’m letting you pick
the movie."
Four days later, she arrived at me
door with bags of groceries. She was headed
to a NASCAR race for four nights and
thought she should stock my empty
refrigerator. “We’ve been eating together
for the last few days,” she told me.
“What are you going to do when I’m gone?”
Jeff was up front with me. He liked me,
but he was new to Match.com. He might want
to date others, he said.
So while I watched cars race in
Tennessee, he said he would be Speed Dating –
meeting women at a singles event in eight
minute rotations.
I respected his honesty, but
secretly I hoped he wouldn’t meet another
girl. I took it as a challenge. I
really like the guy. I need to show him I’m
definitely what he needs.
On Sunday, I felt compassion, but
I smiled inside when Jeff told me about his
dreadful Speed Dating mismatches.
I’m thinking, yaaaaayyy!!!
The next weekend, I took Jenna fishing
at Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod. I chased
Albacore fish and caught four, 8 or 9
pounds each. She was dodging me as I
fought these fish.She was amazed by the
entire experience. We had a lot of laughs
and a great day.
I really learned about his love for his
hobby. When he gets out
there, he’s like a little kid. It brought
back a lot of memories of me and my grandfather Poppi.
The next day I met Jeff’s mother and
stepfather who were visiting from New
Bedford. They welcomed me and made me
feel comfortable. My parents and
sister also embraced Jeff when they
met him.
It takes a long time for me to get to
know someone. With each date and phone
call, my feelings for Jenna deepened. I
started to miss her when we separated
on holidays to be with our families.
I also wanted to come home to Jenna to
share the successes and challenges of each
day with her. Even if I caught a big fish,
I wanted to come home and tell her, to have
her be proud of me.
I think I fell in love with Jeff the
first time we met. Learning more about
him over time confirmed my feelings.
I didn’t believe in telling a man I
love him before he says it first. One night
in late December, we had a disagreement
and neither of us would give in. Jeff told me
that to make it as a couple, we need to
change a little, to blend together.
“I love you.” he said. Then he said it
again.
I looked at him and told him I loved
him too. Now we say those words every time
we end a phone call or leave each other.
He says you never know if you are going to
see that person again. We definitely value
our time together.
On Valentine’s Day, I gave Jenna a
bouquet of red roses and a card that read:
“Help make my house a home. Will you move
in with me?” Inside was my house key.
He didn’t have pets growing up. He
showed me he really loved Jenna by taking in
Tigger and Chloe, my cats. I was kind of
worried about how he was going to react to
the cat hair and litter box, but it didn’t
take him long to fall in love with them.
Jeff sent me cards, emails and gifts often, always with a poem or message that he
loved me.
In October 2005, I took him to Disney
World for his birthday. I remembered
looking at the fireworks over the castle
with Jeff and feeling happier and more
content than I’d ever had before.
When we returned, I took Jenna shopping for a
ring setting. I had talked about getting a diamond
through a gemologist, a former teacher of
Jenna’s in Vermont. To add an element of
surprise, I tricked her into thinking
the purchase had fallen through. In the
meantime, during a visit to Vermont, I
asked her parents for permission to marry
Jenna.
Everything was going perfectly. I had found the beautiful stone. It
was a brilliant cut. Every diamond is
unique, just like she is.
On Saturday, December 17, I awoke to
see a huge grin on Jeff’s face. He handed
me a note that said they were going on a
road trip. No details were given.
What a relief, I thought. I was looking
forward to the getaway. The bathroom was
being remodeled and dust was everywhere.
In the car, Jeff asked me for a napkin in
the glove compartment. Inside were Godiva
chocolates with a message: “I hope you
enjoy the trip. Here are some sweets for
the ride down.”
Jenna and I drove for an hour to the Chatham Bars
Inn. Chatham is the most eastern point of
Cape Cod, a beautiful place right on the
ocean. I picked it because the ocean is so
big. It humbles you and makes you feel
appreciative of what you have.”
We arrived at 4 p.m. and I asked her
to stay in the car for a few minutes. I
would also ask her to wait outside the
room while I went in.
I’m getting suspicious by now. I didn’t say it, but I was
thinking, What the heck is going on?
I walked into the sitting area of a
suite. The sliding glass door looked out
onto the ocean. The late afternoon sun cast
long shadows in the room.
We walked into the sitting area of the
suite at the Chatham Bar Inn. I remember the sliding glass door looked out
onto the ocean. The late afternoon sun cast
long shadows in the room.
You have to see something in the bedroom,
I told her. I took her by the hand and led
her to the fireplace. Her back was to the
bed.
I read her my ad on Match.com. Then I
got on one knee. “I know that I won’t be
perfect. I will make my share of mistakes.
But you are the perfect one for me and we
are perfect for each other. I will always
be there for you. Jennifer Shannon, will you marry me?
"Of course I will," I said in tears.
Turn around, I said. Rose petals on
the bed spelled out the words “Marry me?”
The engagement ring box was the period
under the question mark.
I was so in shock, so excited, so happy.
Jeff’s proposal had me crying and
shaking from the first moment he read the
ad. “Tired of the dating scene? Your search
is now over - a nice guy is waiting to meet
you . . . Are you ready to possibly begin
the first day of the rest of your life?
Yes, I was ready.
Ellen Braunstein
Writer and Creative Director
Courtship Stories and Tribute Stories
Visit www.courtship-stories.com
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