Our Story
February 12, 2020 — 06:40 A.M.
Ontario, CA
Let me set the scene for you. It was a cold Wednesday morning and I did NOT want to get out of bed. Despite only having my astronomy class—I wasn’t even scheduled to work that day—I was immovable, in my eyes. I heavily debated skipping class that day (I wasn’t worried about catching up on any missed work), but being the responsible adult I am, I scrounged up the courage to leave my warm, cozy bed; a feat I should have won a medal for. After successfully getting ready for the day, I got in my car and started to drive. Immediately, I noticed that my car was driving weird, but after looking at the road, I noticed an obscene amount of gravel on the street. I rationalized that the reason my car was driving oddly was because of my tires going over it. I continued on my merry way to the freeway, in which my car continued to drive oddly. As I approached the on-ramp, I mentally asked myself if I should just pull over and make sure everything was okay. Nah! (In my defense, there were a LOT debris on the ground the ENTIRE route). I drove onto the on-ramp and saw no gravel ahead of me (yay)…but my car continued to drive funny. It was in this moment I realized, I had fucked up. I immediately pulled over to the very large (and safe) right shoulder, and did what any intelligent, young woman would do. I called my dad.
07:05 A.M.
34.0305 ° N, 117.6901 °
After explaining my perilous situation (my back right tire was…barely there) and how I got there through no fault of my own (obviously), I noticed a big white truck pull up behind me. Of course, I was too distracted staring at the review, and complaining to my dad about the nerve of this rando to break down behind me, to notice that said rando had walked up to my window. He knocked on the window, and I jumped. ”Oh! He’s cute. Great, the cute guys is going to murder me on the freeway” (this is a direct mind quote fyi) He gestured at me to roll down the window (so he could reach through the opening and strangle me, most likely). Of course, I was too smart for that, so I only rolled the window down 1/2 an inch, as my dad frantically asked me what was happening. The man (Mathew❤️) introduced himself, as he shoved official looking pamphlets through the crack in my window. He stated that he worked for FSP, a free service on the freeway to help people who were out of gas and that had broken-down cars. (Sounded fake, but sure Jan). He told me he saw that my tire was damaged and that he would be happy to change it to my spare tire, if I had one. I reported back that I didn’t, and that I was okay. He then asked if I would like him to tow me off the freeway to a safer location. It was here that my dad started shouting repeatedly: “No. No! NO!! NO!!! Tell him you have AAA coming!!! NOO!!!”
07:15 A.M.
34.0305 ° N, 117.6901 °
I let him know that I was okay, and that I had AAA coming. He asked again, stating that being on the side of the freeway wasn’t safe, and that he could just tow me off the freeway at least. My dad never stopped shouting no. I’m not going to lie, he got me when he said that being on the side of the freeway wasn’t safe, as I didn’t feel very safe. I looked down at the pamphlets that looked so official and I thought about how I didn’t feel like this man was being anything but genuine. Besides my fear of being murdered, I wasn’t actually afraid of Mathew. He was giving off the vibes of a good man just trying to be helpful and do his job. I decided to trust my gut and to trust him (a decision I have never regretted to this day). Besides, even if I was wrong, I knew my dad was on the phone and would avenge my death. I accepted Mathew’s help, and while he was strapping up my car, I assured my dad that everything seemed legitimate, and that I was just being towed off the freeway. I hung up with my dad, and I think he took little to no comfort in my assurances. As I sat in Mathew’s tow truck I saw camo seats (which I hated lol) and I heard a Fall Out Boy song playing. I cannot for the life of me remember the song, but it was the shared interest in the song that began our conversation. Mathew was so funny, sweet, and cheeky. We had an effortless banter and I found myself more and more drawn to him throughout the drive. I didn’t want to stop talking to him.
07:33 A.M.
34.03691° N, 117.70710° W
Mathew pulled off on Mustang Road to drop me off, which I thought was funny, as he was towing my Mustang. I was a bit sad that our conversation was going to end. I decided that before he left, I was going to ask for his phone number; which was terrifying as I had never asked anyone for their number before! We stepped out of the truck, and he asked me if I was sure I didn’t have a spare tire that he could change for me. The way he said it made it seem like he wanted to stay longer with me, and since I didn’t want him to go, I gave him the okay to check my car. Lo and behold, my Mustang had a Mary Poppins trunk. Mathew lifted the floor of my trunk and found my spare tire…that wasn’t embarrassing at ALL🤦🏽♀️ He was so sweet, telling me how normal it was for people not to know, but also teasing me. I really liked him.
7:40 A.M.
34.03691° N, 117.70710° W
As he unloaded my car and changed the tire, we kept talking and I was trying not to lose my nerve to ask if I could have his number. When he finished, he came back to me on the sidewalk and said I was good to go. I was building up all the courage I could muster, but before I could ask him, he looked at me bashfully and said he didn’t really do this, but he was wondering if he could have my number. I was over the moon! We exchanged numbers, but being the super suave person I am, I asked if I could take a picture of him for his contact photo. “It just really helped me keep track of who was who in my phone, as I had a few classmates in my contacts.” (Smooth as butter!) Me wanting a photo had absolutely NOTHING to do with me wanting to have a picture to show my sisters of the cute tow truck driver that helped me. Nothing at all👀 That photo has been Mathew’s contact photo for five years.
09:22 A.M.
Same Day
Mathew texted me for the first time, and we haven’t stopped talking since❤️
Today
Looking back on how Mathew and I met, I’m in awe.
What truly amazes me is how many ways Mathew and I almost didn’t meet. We wouldn’t have met if I had decided to skip school. We wouldn’t have met if I checked my car before I started driving. We wouldn’t have met if I had stopped and checked my car before I went on the freeway. We wouldn’t have met if Mathew had followed through on his desire to drive past my car, because he just started his shift and wasn’t mentally ready yet. We wouldn’t have gotten to known each other if I did actually have AAA on the way. We wouldn’t have gotten to know each other if I had known that I had a spare tire, and I had let him change it on the side of the freeway. There were so many little ways where we almost missed each other, but didn’t. There were so many opportunities for us to pass each other in this life, but we came together instead. Our meeting was kismet and I will forever be grateful it was. Fate brought us together, but we stay together as a choice. Everyday we choose each other and this beautiful little family we have created. We choose to continue building a life full of the most genuine love and care. We choose to support each other, grow together, listen to each other, and to care and love one another. We are beyond excited to have our relationship be legally recognized for what it is, a family❤️