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You are Here: Home > Love Stories > Online Romance > The Good Guy Gets the Greatest Girl



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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