I never thought it would happen to me…getting dumped, I mean. Oh I’m not talking about the typical “You like a guy and he never calls you,” sort of thing. I’m talking about really, falling in love with someone, and suddenly he leaves you and quickly marries someone else. That happened to me three years ago, and I was devastated and utterly crushed.

“I’ll never love again,” I was convinced, and for at least a year I could barely look at a man, let alone think about opening up myself again and being vulnerable. So I went about my daily life, caring for my 10 year-old daughter, and never dreamed romance was literally right around the corner.

One day, I saw an ad for a service that transfers old videos into DVDs. I drove there and walked in with a stack of tapes that needed to be worked on. Standing to greet me was Bob, the most charming man I had ever seen.

“How could I get to know him better?,” I thought. About a week later, when I went to pick up my tapes, I made sure I was his last appointment for the day. “Would you like to get a cup of coffee?” I asked. “I can’t,” he said, I do have another appointment after you.”

I was crushed and thought he wasn’t interested in me, and by the next day, I had pretty much forgotten all about it. At around 5:30 p.m., my phone rang. It was Bob, asking me if I wanted to have that cup of coffee!

I couldn’t that night, but we made plans for dinner the following week. I was dancing around the house and jumping up and down like a kid. I was happy and excited beyond belief.

The following week, Bob picked me up for dinner. My heart was pounding with a giddy anticipation that I had not felt since I was in high school. “I thought we’d go someplace special, seeing that it is our first date together,” he said and then smiled a warm, loving smile.

We drove for miles to a special sushi restaurant and club where the waiters put on a show and sing. Dinner guests scream and yell, clapping wildly. Inside, the noise was intoxicating. Since we really couldn’t talk because of the noise, I stared at him at the sushi bar. He smiled back, feeling badly that he chosen such a noisy place.

The next moment was like something out of a dream. I leaned toward him and we kissed. It was soft and magical, and I can honestly say, the most romantic moment of my life. I’ve had many fancy gifts and romantic moments, but the simplicity, purity and “realness” of that moment and his overwhelming desire to make that evening special was truly, truly beautiful.

It’s been eight months since that wonderful moment and I see Bob often. I discovered that you can love again, and there is life…even after getting dumped.