3 Pronged Plan to Love

Including my own, I have been to 12 weddings in 2 years. Thus, a lot of discussion amongst my friends and I has centered around marriage, love and how to tell if he/she is "the one." Now, some people say that there's no such thing as a soul mate, while others believe in love at first sight. Most people fall into the middle of these two arguments though, which makes the decision to get married a thought-intensive process.

I used to work with a guy named Rob who told me that he proposed to his wife within 48 hours of meeting her, and she accepted. It was only after the proposal that Rob realized that he didn't know too much about his bride to be and, unbeknownst to his fiance, decided to put her through 3 tests to determine if she was "the one."

Rob had a reputation in our department as a bottomless pit. Any leftovers from departmental luncheons, holiday cookies exchanges, etc went to Rob. He would bring in his lunches each day in huge Tupperware containers that could hold a pan of brownies and put it all away in one sitting. The first test, thus involved his enormous, somewhat disgusting appetite. Early on in the relationship, he took Jane to Arby's and ordered half a dozen roast beef sandwiches. He ate each one, and to Jane's credit she wasn't (or at least hid it well) repulsed. She passed the first test!

Nag, nag, nag! No man likes to be nagged, and Rob was no exception. He wanted a girl who would keep complaints to herself and let bygones be bygones. One day, while they were still living in Utah, Rob took Jane for day hike near their homes. They came to a small brook and Rob offered to carry Jane across it under the guise that he'd be practicing carrying her over the threshold. Halfway across the brook, Rob "accidentally" dropped Jane into the water, so she was soaking wet and covered with debris. Jane accepted his curt apology, didn't mention it again, and passed the second test.

What man doesn't want a hottie? Rob had only seen Jane during the day after she had time to put herself together in anticipation of seeing Rob. Their relationship was such that there were no overnight visitations and there were plans to keep things G-rated until the wedding night. Rob didn't want any surprises though, so one early morning (around 3 am, according to Rob) he knocked on her door to catch her in her natural element. Other than scaring the crap out of Jane, the visit went well in Rob's opinion, so Jane passed his third and final test.

As far as I know they're still married, so when trying to decide if your sweetheart is a keeper, don't discount Rob's 3 pronged plan.