Lui and I met on June 11th 2023. We are both Active Duty Air Force and were assigned to two different military bases in Europe, both of us living in the Netherlands. On this particular Sunday, my friend Jess invited me to go to a local lake with her and her husband. I really just wanted to sleep in and work out but the sun was shining, which you have to take advantage of in the Netherlands, so I showed up late, per usual. I found Jess at a table, but what caught my eye was a tall, dark and handsome somebody that seemed to be standing up at the same table. Hmm, who is that, I wondered? He was wearing a half-zipped wetsuit with notable abs, I couldn’t help but notice (Lui: her jaw literally dropped). He stuck out his hand to shake mine when I approached and told me his name was Lui (Lui: in a deep, sultry voice). Was he American, I wondered? He had to be, Europeans don’t shake hands. Was he single? He couldn't be military with that facial hair…that’s refreshing, I thought. Did he know Jess? Why was he in a wetsuit? Questions & an internal dialogue flooded my mind. Very quickly his two teenage kids, Lucia and Alec approached and I realized he had a silicone band on one of his fingers.. go figure, I thought (Lui: it was my middle finger). We continued to talk and I quickly learned he was a single dad, also from Florida, an Air Force Officer, and, unfortunately, a Florida Gator. Well, it was fun while it lasted, I thought (Lui: she knew a Gator was an exclusive item). Lui: I was invited by Jess’ husband Jared for a day at the lake. I was just supposed to be having a day of wakeboarding with the kids…and look who comes strolling in, guns blazing. Within minutes of introductions, she ran off with my son to go paddleboarding. I wasn’t expecting this to be a momentous occasion. I still contend the encounter was arranged with subterfuge; the conditions were too perfect.