A man falls in love with a funny, intelligent woman online that he has never seen, but when they finally meet, he realizes she isn’t what he was expecting
Jonas Damian was a talented and successful photographer and he posted his best work on Instagram. He had millions of followers, but one day, one comment on his favorite photo caught his eye.
He messaged the person back, and before long they were discussing his work. The other person, Shutterbug, was knowledgeable and made interesting remarks so Jonas sent a friend request. As it turned out, Shutterbug was a woman named Florence and soon they were DMing every day.
Jonas would find himself eager to tell Florence about every detail of his day, to share his experiences, and ask her opinions. She was funny, intelligent, and kind, and little by little, he was falling in love with her.
They started exchanging voice calls, and Jonas was enchanted by her husky voice and charming laugh. He asked Florence for a photo again and again, but she always refused to share one.
“You don’t need to see what my outside looks like, Jonas,” she said, laughing, “You already know the best part of me, my mind!” Jonas laughed too, but he was increasingly curious about Florence.
Florence,” he told her one day, about six months after they ‘met,’ “My day doesn’t start until I hear your voice or get a message from you. You’re the last person I talk to every night. I don’t think I’ve ever been so honest and so open about myself with anyone else in my entire life. I’m falling in love with you.”
Judge people by their hearts and their minds, not their looks.
There was a long silence and then Florence replied, “Jonas, you are a man who lives in a world where beauty matters a great deal more than character or a good heart. You’ve never even seen me.”
“I don’t need to see you to know that you’ve become the most important thing in my life,” Jonas said. “And I know you feel the same way!”
Florence admitted that she did care for Jonas. “I’m afraid that when you see me you will turn away from me. I’m just an ordinary woman, and you are used to being surrounded by models and actresses…”
Jonas was upset. “Do you think so little of me that you think how you look will make me love you less?”
“I think the world of you, Jonas,” Florence said softly. “But I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Listen, Florence,” Jonas said firmly. “I’m coming to you, I’m coming to Miami, and you meet me at the airport with a red rose in your buttonhole so I’ll recognize the love of my life!”
After a lot of chats, Jonas finally convinced Florence to agree to a meeting, and a week later, he was on his way to Miami. As the plane approached for landing, Jonas’ stomach was in knots.
What did Florence look like? He was curious and excited and frightened. He knew he might be headed for a huge disappointment. He thought that he would love Florence if she was an ordinary girl, but what if she was really ugly? Or disfigured?
Then Jonas thought about Florence’s sweetness, her wit, and her charm and he realized that nothing else mattered. Here was a woman who understood and accepted him, and he was worried about her looks?
Jonas walked off the plane along with the other passengers and into the hubbub of the airport terminal. There were people hugging and kissing all around him, men and women running towards each other.
Where, oh where was Florence? Jonas looked and looked but there was no one wearing a rose on her buttonhole. Then he caught a glimpse of red. There was a woman walking towards him, and she had a rose!
It was Florence! As Jonas drew closer, his eager steps slowed. The woman was tall and slim, with delicate features and lovely eyes, but she was at least sixty years old, almost twenty years older than Jonas…
Jonas was about to turn and walk away, then he stopped. “If I walk away,” he thought, “then I’m exactly the kind of shallow, fickle man she thinks I may be. I’m going to face this!”
And Jonas waked towards the slender woman and smiled. “Florence,” he said and stretched out his hands. But the woman gave him a big grin and winked over her shoulder. “You are Jonas,” she said, still smiling. Then she stepped aside.
There was a petite woman in her thirties standing behind her with chocolate brown hair and lively green eyes. She smiled at Jonas and deep dimples flashed in her cheeks.
The older woman said, “This is Florence. She thought that if you came to me, accepting what you saw, that you are the man for her. I think she’s right!”
But Jonas hardly heard her, he was too busy staring into Florence’s beautiful eyes, drinking in her smile. It was their first meeting, and six months later, Jonas and Florence got married — at the airport.
What can we learn from this story?
- Judge people by their hearts and their minds, not their looks. Jonas was used to hanging around the ‘beautiful’ people but he appreciated Florence for her wit and her sense of humor.
- Real love doesn’t care about looks or age. Florence put Jonas to the test and he passed with flying colors: he really did love her no matter what.
1 Comment
A love so real….I enjoyed their love story.