12.9.17

No story is complete without an antagonist, and there's been a few—times of distance, moving far from family, and growing into adulthood. Some would even ponder why two people would spend so many years—a decade—of their youth nurturing just one relationship. This is the 21st century, right? But perhaps these two old souls know that you don’t break what isn’t broken. They didn’t know all this at the beginning, of course. Nebraskan childhoods were simple: pool days, open roads, no worries. With two weeks before junior prom, Scott had firmly settled upon “not attending.” In fact, Carolyn was second-choice (yes, the first option declined). After enduring an awkward night of idle talk—oh, how times have changed—Scott dropped her off at home just ten minutes before her fatherly deadline. Over the next year, they slowly became inseparable until Scott left for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln—six hours away. But both knew the value of what they could eventually have. Carolyn would visit most fall football Saturdays, when the two could rejoice in Husker football together. In the spring, Scott was no stranger to weekend night drives as the only car on a starlit Highway 26. Thinking back, Scott never imagined Carolyn would join the merchandising team for one of New York’s most innovative and exciting startups, right off Wall Street. Carolyn didn’t think Scott would join a law firm overlooking World Trade Center. Today, they relish a growing life in their adopted home—Brooklyn. But these changes are mere externalities—their relationship remains the steady constant. In an age of disconnectedness, this relationship rebuts the idea that one should “settle” or “change it up.” Their love is not mechanical, but rather some blend of fortune and divine intervention. It is without formula. No ingredients, no measurements, no order of preparation. For Carolyn and Scott, they knew it because they had it.