One Enchanted Evening

Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love

BY: Sage de Beixedon Breslin

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.
~John Barrymore


After my divorce, I dated a very charming man for several years who, despite all that he had to offer, could never really make a commitment to me or to a future together. We separated and reunited many times, and finally, we found the courage to end the relationship once and for all. It was agonizing, but the healthiest thing we could have done for one another.


After the end of our relationship, I really swore off men. I was the single mother of two small children, trying to balance a full-time career with motherhood, and managing well, most of the time. I didn't have a strong desire to have anyone else in my life, though occasionally I did long for a playmate and lover. Given the situation, it was really just easier not to get involved.


By the spring of 2001, I had been on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association in my county for six years. As part of my duties, I volunteered annually with the AHA Annual Gala.


Somehow, getting sponsors and auction items for "the Ball" just seemed more glamorous than the other service options, and Lord knows, being a single mother, I didn't have much glamour in my life.


Given that it was my last term, I worked my tail off to make the event as special as it could possibly be. It was set at the new Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland in California. We had arranged for David Benoit to play for us that evening, and there were terrific silent and live auctions to tantalize all of our guests. My swan song looked complete, but by the night before the event, I couldn't stomach the idea of attending one more gala, especially alone.


I finished the last of my To-Do list and hugged my director, then wished the committee well. My director, realizing that I did not mean to attend the event, looked aghast. I was even more surprised when the refined sixty-something belle told me in no uncertain terms that I would get my tail to the event, OR ELSE. I had never seen her like this, and wasn't quite sure what would happen if I argued with her. I squinched up my face at her, and left the building. I began speed-dialing the sitter I had used, hoping that I could even get someone to take care of the kids at such late notice. After getting a confirmation from the sitter, I headed to the mall. I pawed through the dresses on the rack, doubtful that I would find something in time, and completed the purchase of a deep-blue gown as Security began locking the doors for the night.


By 4:00 P.M. Saturday, I was a wreck. I tried to hold myself together, glaring at the clock with every minute that the sitter was late. A half-hour later, the sitter arrived and I dashed off to the ball. I deposited my car with the valet, strode into the hotel, and tried to scan the crowd for my director. Inside the VIP lounge, I spied her across the room with a few of my close colleagues.


After a brief hug, I told her that I wouldn't be staying for dinner, and she seemed to take no notice. She handed me a glass of champagne and asked my opinion about the auction tables. We talked shop for a few minutes before she asked if I'd met Thom Breslin. "Old, fat, balding cardiologist" is what I thought to myself, knowing that the event was often attended by these types. I told her that I hadn't, and she mentioned that he'd lost his wife to cancer. The image in my mind aged a few more years, and I wondered why she'd asked. She must have caught the expression on my face, because she took that opportunity to suggest that we go join her husband, Roger. As I'd spent Christmas the year before with them, I was pleased that he was attending the event.


As she turned to join Roger's group, I turned away from them to hand the waiter my glass. When I turned back around, in front of me was one of the most handsome men I'd ever seen. I quickly averted my eyes and hugged Roger, clasping his hands. And, with a gentle steer back to the others, Roger asked me, "Have you met Thom Breslin?" That whole "old, fat, balding cardiologist" thing just fell away with his words.


I thought for a moment that I might actually faint. I don't know if it was the form-fitting dress, the champagne gone to my head, or an actual swoon, but I had to remind myself to breathe as he reached out to shake my hand.


We spoke then, about our careers, our lives, and our loves. I shared about my divorce, and he spoke about losing the love of his life to cancer after twenty-one years together. I tried to be empathic and compassionately offered, "I'm so glad that you had so many wonderful years of such deep love." And, to my surprise, he responded, "Yes -- but I want to have that again!"


And, with that, we both realized that, while rapt in conversation, the room had emptied and left us in the bubble we'd created with our stories. The dinner bell rang, alerting us to find our tables. We quickly scanned the auction tables, playfully flirting and then headed toward the ballroom. There, this handsome man deposited me at my table at the back of the room and went off to join the head table, as he was a guest of the Director.


As I bit into my salad and pondered what had just happened, something caught my eye and I looked up. There, coming across the room towards me, was Dr. Thom Breslin. "How's your seat?" I asked, knowing that the head table was directly in front of the stage. "Funny," he replied, "there doesn't seem to be a seat left for me." Glancing to my right and left, I was met with open chairs. I lifted my eyes towards his, amazed by their sparkle. I pulled out a chair, and with a smile, he sat beside me. The rest of the evening, for both of us, is now a blur.


It's eight years and three children later, and we still feel blessed to have met in that crowded room. While my director finally confessed to setting us up, so much of our encounter was truly magical. Thom shared with me later that his first date with his late wife, Jennifer, had been at Disney World in Florida. And, so, it seemed simply divine that, in a ballroom, he'd find love again with me, in the "happiest place on Earth."

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