The story begins with Tony deciding it was his last day on e-Harmony. Just not finding a match. Meanwhile Mare recently had signed up after months of persuasion by her friend (thank you Corlis Sellers), and it was at this intersection they met. Tony’s curiosity blinked when he saw a button with four letters that he had never noticed at the bottom of the page.… M-O-R-E. Hmmm what’s this, he thought? And when he clicked, guess whose picture and bio popped up? His first message to Mare began with, Well aren’t you one of God’s most beautiful creations? The exchange that followed revealed some common ground in jazz music, social justice, the beach, family, and faith. Then came that first, uncertain, in-person meeting when “Boojie “met “Byrd” (Tony’s nickname from his basketball-playing days). Mare was in Durham for a higher ed conference for which she had just played a college professor in a drama presentation for a professional theater company. She was dressed in cream dress pants and matching leather boots and jacket. Tony had driven from “Little” Washington where he had just showered and left the gym. He wore cream sweatpants that were short for his 6’4” frame, faded sweat socks, gym shoes, a fleece jacket, and a baseball cap. “Noooo he did not…” she whispered. Standing inside the designated restaurant window, she could see him bounding across the parking lot heads above most of the other patrons, and her first instinct was “… Run.” But those long legs of his got him to the door quickly, and a little voice whispered to her, Just wait... His first thought when he saw Mare was “Wow… should I run? This may be more than I’m ready for.” But a little voice said, What you prayed for… And once again, their spirits connected, lunch was pleasant, and his thoughtfulness overcame his appearance that day. Remembering that she is a theatre person and since they were both staying in town that evening, Tony had reserved tickets for them for a show later at the Carolina Theatre. There’s so much MORE to the story, and you’re welcome to ask… but suffice it to say for now that their common ground solidified and now they cherish a Love worth MORE than words can say.