Lisa got divorced from her husband a year ago. Their marriage, which was apparently everything about love and trust, did end rather quickly – in less than four years. The love that had been there in the beginning did waned away so quickly that Lisa almost wondered if it had ever been there in the first place. However, what did made her forget the bitter experience was her little kid Rob. The baby was the sole joy to her life.

Rob was her world, and they shared a bond that was simply beautiful. Lisa didn’t want just about anyone to be added to their duo and, moreover, the dating prospects in that small town seemed rather bleak. Besides, she wasn’t even sure if a man would be interested in forming a real relationship with a 32-year-old mother. Most of the dates she had were just too casual.

Lisa’s best friend from school; ‘Lou was flying down from China. Lisa so wanted to spend some time with her. They haven’t had a chance to meet for years and she knew that she owed it to her. Occupying her parents as babysitters for little Rob, Lisa left for the family lake house with her gang of girls. Their only plan was to eat, drink, splash around, talk, and just relax for the weekend.

Friday was spent almost lazing around the cottage. On Saturday afternoon, Lisa and her friends did decide to go to the lake. Dressed in itsy-bitsy bikinis, as they neared the lake, they saw boats all lined by the harbor. There was blaring music and people were hopping from one boat onto another. Some others floated in the water, and inner tubes, with beers in their hand. Lisa wondered how she would survive in the midst of all this. Their boat Merrigold was received with hoots from the crowd.

They were thinking where to anchor their boat when they saw a few tanned men waving towards them from on a nearby boat. They seemed quite sober. Lisa did not know why! But those guys helped them by taking their boat to the middle. One among of them happened to catch her eyes. He had beer mugs in each of his hand. Offering one at Lisa, he queried for her name. “Lisa. And yours?” “Bran,” he replied, bowing down before her. Lisa almost burst into giggles.

Amidst all the chaos, they were already started with a conversation while most of the others got themselves busy dancing. The two soon realized that there were hardly any similarities to both of them. While ‘Bran was a hard-core meat eater; Lisa was a pure vegetarian. She had graduated at the top of her college. Bran took three years to complete, focusing more on basketball instead of his studies. He had a drawl; while Lisa spoke with the correct diction of a very sophisticated lady. However, both were continuously drawn back into a conversation with one another. There was a definite mutual attraction between the two….Lisa wondered how his lips may taste against hers…and…

When it was their time to go, Bran said he wanted to take her out for lunch. For Lisa, Bran was certainly attractive and fun, but she wasn’t sure if he was her type. Nevertheless, she decided to spend some time with him.

Before their first date, Lisa did tell him about Rob, ‘the most important person in her life. Just so as to allow Bran a chance to retract his date invitation. It wouldn’t have been fair to Bran. His only response to this was, “That’s fine with me. I was raised by a single mum, too.”

They started going out for movies, shopping and parties regularly. “Bran, well, I am dating other people,” Lisa told him one day. “Not an issue,” Bran replied, “Lisa! I want you to know I’m not.” Lisa was little surprised hearing this. Never once did Bran had questioned her about her other dates.

Three months later, Lisa finally decided it was time to let Rob and Bran meet. Bran became the only one of all her dates that she wanted to meet her son. Rob was too young and she certainly didn’t want any men coming in and out of Rob’s life. Bran’s confident personality convinced Lisa that he was the right man and even the time too was right.

At Lisa’s house to meet Rob, Bran had carried gifts of cars, trains and car-themed books. From his conversations with Lisa, he knew that Rob enjoyed anything that moved – trains, trucks and cars. Rob had been hiding in his room before, but almost as he saw the gifts he ran towards his mum’s friend. Little Rob was simply thrilled. He had never been gifted with so many toys together. He even asked Bran to read him from the books. They sat together on that couch, reading – just as a father and a son would.

Later they went for a little walk around the park; his mum would usually take him to. That day, Rob and Bran decided to get down into the creek, fishing for stones, laughing and exploring. Soon, Lisa was forgotten!!

The first meeting could not have been better than this. Against her better judgment, Lisa already began thinking of them together as a family.

In the months that followed, the three of them spent a lot of happy time together. Bran changed Rob’s diapers; read for him and also thought him to play basketball. Whenever they went out together Bran was the one to push little Rob’s baby walker around. Between all of this, Bran made love to Lisa, madly and passionately.’ just about at any time Rob wasn’t there.

It was not as frequent like most couples did, but Bran never ever did complain. He was somehow patient and kind. The very quality in him that had won Lisa over. Bran was exactly the person she ever needed. There wasn’t anything artificial about him and he remained just the same even when he was with his set of friends. Lisa actually had never quite met anyone like him, before…

Once on a trip to the mountains, after almost a year of being friends, ‘Bran proposed to her. Much like a reflex, Lisa shouted, “Of course!” Their marriage took place in the same mountain tops. The priest was there too. Little Rob in a black suit looked incredibly handsome as he gave his mum away to his beloved Bran. The exchanged vows between them were had been written by themselves.

Bran told her that he had loved her all his life and that even before he met her, he knew she would come along. For her part, Lisa said he was much more than the man of her dreams. When the ceremony was over, Rob handed her a bunch of buttercups he himself had picked. Cute indeed!

Lisa tucked them into her wedding bouquet. And with this all the three of them smilingly walked down the hilltop towards their lives in togetherness….