Amey & Tony

July 12, 2019 – I had been working in Phoenix for a couple of days and was about to head back to Dallas to start my weekend with friends. I had boarded my Southwest flight (where every seat is first class, by the way) and settled into the usual aisle seat up front with all my other fellow A-Listers. Normally, I have my face buried in my phone to avoid making eye contact with the oncoming passengers, always hopeful that this strategy would one day prevent anyone from sitting next to me on the flight. Don't judge!
Something or someone had distracted me from trolling social media, causing me to look up right as Tony was boarding the plane and walking down the aisle. My initial thought was “Okay, now HE’S a good-looking guy!” Let me pause right here and say that I was in a great place in my life – God had truly been filling ‘my cup’, and I was at peace with my singleness.

I tried to act casually and not stare too much at Tony while he, too, had his face buried in his phone. But then it happened….God’s orchestration finally coming into full play. The lady in front of Tony had stopped right next to my seat. I had no idea what she was doing or if she even sat in the row across from me because I was still staring at Tony staring at his phone. There was just something about him that had intrigued me. Looking back, I believe, without a doubt, that this lady was also a part of God’s beautiful timing! He made sure that the SLOWEST person on earth was walking in front of Tony on this flight. Can I get an AMEN!?

While the slow lady was “pausing” by my seat, Tony happened to look up…and then We. Made. Eye contact. He politely asked if anyone was sitting in the window seat, which of course no one was yet because I had been AVOIDING eye contact with the passengers before him. I told him “No” and stood up to move into the aisle so he could have his window seat, but the SLOW lady was still standing there. So now I am standing up in front of my seat, Tony is standing in the aisle waiting on me, but I am still waiting on the SLOW lady to move. And let me just add that it was kinda awkward for a moment. Tony and I are now standing face-to-face for what seemed like an eternity, and in that moment, all I could muster out was a sheepish “haha” in the dorkiest manner possible. “Haha?” Ugh!

Well, the SLOW lady finally moved and Tony slipped into his seat. He was on the phone talking to someone while getting settled, so I attempted a quick glance at his ring finger to verify his ‘status’. No luck. I just assumed he was, in fact, married or dating someone because that had always been the case up to this point. Several minutes had passed after he finished his call, and I did not want to seem too unfriendly, so I asked him if Dallas was his home. And from there, my friends, we talked the ENTIRE flight to Dallas. We talked faith, family, our shared frustrations with American Airlines, and so much more! Was this guy for real?
Yes he was!

The cliché saying “when you least expect it” is SOOOO true! I wasn't looking, but God brought Tony into my life on July 12, 2019......not a day too soon or a day too late. He knew that a breast cancer diagnosis was about to knock on my door three months later, but more importantly, God knew how much of a blessing Tony would be to me through it all. Tony IS the man I had been praying for my entire life. He was so worth the wait!