It’s All You

It began with a simple coincidence and an off-color joke, as all good love stories do. As fate would have it, we were seated side-by-side in the exit row of an airplane. While the flight attendants prepared the cabin for takeoff, I gestured toward the window with my thumb. “If we crash, it’s all you.” He smiled … and I melted into a puddle.

I was headed home after a week-long vacation in Lisbon. His company was sending him to the US to open an office in Silicon Valley. The conversation took off before we left the runway, as natural as breathing the air. We were on that plane for six-and-a-half hours; it was the best first date of my life.

Three weeks later, I visited him in San Francisco. After a romantic long weekend that paralleled a movie, I flew home in tears. I didn’t want to say goodbye. But sometimes in life you have to take a leap of faith. I gave my two-week notice at work and at the end of my last day, flew right back into his arms.

Eventually, he had to return home to Portugal. By that point, we knew we wanted to be together though we knew it wouldn’t be easy. Schengen Zone travel restrictions state that I can visit for just 90 days within any 180-day period; so while, yes, I am moving there to be with him, I’m only allowed to stay for three months.

From there, we shall see.