My Unexpected Love Story

This is part of a creative non-fiction story that I've compiled over time. I'm sure you can guess where I gathered my inspiration for this story :-). Hope you enjoy!

There was once a girl who wandered the imaginary woods of her neighborhood, climbing the trees and envisioning her prince charming off in the distance of her future. He would be tall and handsome, with green eyes and a soothing voice. He would take her in his arms and awaken her with his kiss. He would be her Prince Phillip and she his Sleeping Beauty. Like many little girls, this is the dream she had in mind, though she often doubted the likelihood of its fulfillment. The girl grew older and soon began to forfeit her childhood hopes of prince charming. In her heart, she believed that God had someone special in store for her, but the world sometimes made this faith frail.

There was once a boy who found adventure in everything he saw. Fireflies were fading sparks from the fiery breath of a dragon; a tree branch became his sword, while his bicycle served as his chariot. When he went crawdad fishing, he was heroically slaying the monstrous beasts of the earth. And fourth-of-July fireworks were bombs sent to conquer the evil rulers of the land. He was what any girl would want in a prince charming. He was brave and strong; he was heroic and honorable; he was tall and handsome, with green eyes and a soothing voice. The boy grew older and soon began to forfeit his childhood fantasies and heroic ideals. In his heart, he believed that God had something special in store for him, but the world sometimes made this faith frail.

The year was 1998 when they met, in an encounter that could scarcely be deemed groundbreaking or magical. After all, the girl and the boy were young, not yet teenagers. Members of the opposite sex were not exactly desirable. The years would go by, and the girl and the boy would become friends, spending time together at church and school. They would even become boyfriend and girlfriend, but only for a short hour during middle school, when boy-girl relationships consist of little more than momentary and uncertain flirtation. More years would go by; the girl and boy would begin high school; they would find new friends, join new clubs, become the girlfriend or boyfriend to someone else, and drift apart.

How little they knew about what the future held…