It was early evening on Monday, March 7th, 2022. The location was Eataly, Flatiron NYC. Roxy had flown in from Oregon on a work trip and after a long day implementing a program for the homeless, she was rewarding herself with a sacred moment. The treat of a coffee and a pastry at one of the many counters in Eataly with only the company of her book to distract her. She indulged in every sip, every morsel of that delicious pastry, as she removed herself from the constant hum of a busy New York. Firmly minding her own business. Evan, who had spent the past four years living in New York, had just returned from a trip back to Sydney and that Monday afternoon had seized the opportunity to take in warm weather that New York had pleasantly put on after a week of sub-freezing conditions. After a ride through Central Park on a Citi bike, Evan arrived at Eataly to catch up with an old friend. As conversations drew to a close and realising the sun had settled, the decision to head home was imminent, particularly knowing that the chosen outfit of shorts and a tee shirt was fast becoming, most inappropriate for the ever-dropping thermometer. As Evan was leaving, an Espresso called his name. Around the corner, there was a coffee counter, and without knowing, also someone who would forever change his life. Evan approached the coffee counter and whilst contemplating his order, noticed a Woman sitting to his right. She was reading her book, enjoying her invested moment with coffee and a pastry, book in hand. She was modestly dressed, in jeans and a button-down shirt, and he could tell that she, just like him, was not a native of NYC. He looked at his watch, it read 7:40pm. While slightly confused by the time of day for the choice of her meal, within an instant his attention was diverted back to her. "What are you drinking" he asked. "It's a Cortado" she replied. "Is that the one with alcohol in it" Evan said. "No", she replied. Wasting no time, Evan made his introduction. To which she replied, "Hi, I'm Roxy". "What's Roxy short for" he said as he thought to himself, I have never met a Roxy. "Roxanna" she replied. Some chit-chat was exchanged along with some reserved smiles and after about 8 more seconds of what Evan considered as ‘all of time slowing down’, he felt a sensation of calmness. It was somewhat familiar, yet completely foreign. With almost an invisibly light shove, an internal voice said, This, is the woman you will marry. Shocked and bemused by the content of the sentence and questioning his mental state, as he just heard a voice, his voice, he smiled. He paused, then the voice said, “Just lean in mate”. Startled, yet knowing those words came from a place deep inside of his soul and given the nature of meeting people in a place like New York, where everything happens at warp speed as everyone is always in a rush, a movie quote popped in his head, just as it always does. In the famous words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might just miss it”. Dismissing his better judgment to leave for an early night and the option of warmer clothing, Evan asked Roxy to join him for a quick drink. Roxy obliged. They happened to spot Matthew Perry (who played Chandler in Friends for those as bad with names as Roxy). They may or may not have had a few more drinks, even had a first kiss later that evening, and as they say, the rest, is history. The photograph seen below was taken less than three hours after they met. NOTE: The image has been updated. An error was made. Roxy, to her credit, subtlely pointed out, was wearing a checked shirt when we met, not a striped shirt. Accountability for errors are embraced by the author. The original image set a different tone to accompany the detail of recollection and depicted a different 'perspective' of reciprocated feelings until the photo was taken the following evening.