Clickage

On our way back from the game Thursday evening, The Fainter and I were discussing -- as we're likely to do -- the idea of 'clickage', or specifically the phenomena when a happily married someone says something along the lines of, "Oh I knew s/he was the one the moment I met her/him."

Over the years, I've always wondered about the how. I've been out on dates and for the first few, there's this glimmer of hope, and then I'm forced to concede that while all looks good and well on paper, while all the evidence points to the fact I should like this person more than I do, I... don't.

I speculated to The Fainter that maybe the "I knew" comment comes of the hope we all have when we're meeting someone for the first time, no matter how many someones we're meeting for the first time. In that first 30 seconds during the greetings exchange, that's when you envision an entire life with this person, the fact you're going to tra-la-la happily off into Neverland, and finally, finally you can get off the dating Mercedes-Benz. Of course, that's all before you realize the person sitting across the table from you is crazy/mama's boy/boring/fill-in adjective of your choice.

But at least you had the thought when you first met, and that's what makes the "I knew" statement years on down the road so deliciously romantic -- that the initial spark of hope can and does become something greater and worth waiting for.