How do you know when you've found the one?
如何知道自己找到了对的人?
Was it that shy glance, the cute nickname—or an offer to fix a clogged sink?
是那个害羞的眼神，可爱的昵称，还是修理堵塞水槽的提议
As these stories attest, lightning often strikes when you least expect it.
正如这些故事所要说明的，爱情的火花常常在你最意想不到的时候出现。
01
One day in junior high, I went to the movies. I sat with friends behind a row of boys from our class. The boy in front of me turned around and planted a kiss on me.
初中的时候，有一天我去看电影。我和朋友们一起，坐在班上男生们的后面。我前面的男生转过身，亲了我一下。
When I got home, my parents asked me about the movie. I drew a blank. I couldn’t remember anything after the kiss.
回家后，爸妈问我电影怎么样的时候，我脑袋里一片空白，被亲之后的事情我都不记得了。
I’ve been married to that boy for 41 years.
现在，我已经和那个男生结婚41年了。
—DonnaLou Baner, Gridley, Illinois
02
A week after I met my husband, we visited the Illinois State Fair with his family. At one point, someone yelled out, “Does anybody know what time it is?”
认识老公一周后，我们和他的家人一起，参加了伊利诺斯国家博览会。在某个时间点，有人大声问：“有谁知道现在几点了吗？”
At the same exact moment, we shouted back the Chicago lyric, “Does anybody really care?”
我们同时脱口而出，大声回了句芝加哥乐队的歌词，“有人真的在乎吗？”
I knew it was true love.
当时我就知道了，这就是真爱。
—Christa Parry, Mediapolis, Iowa
03
My boyfriend of three weeks was helping my roommate and me move back to college for our senior year.
升大四的时候，交往了3周的男朋友帮我和我室友搬家回学校。
While unpacking, I listed all the things I loved about my new apartment: “I love my new room, I love my bathroom, I love our kitchen, I love our living room, I love my boyfriend …”
拆封行李的时候，我列了下新公寓里自己喜欢的东西：“我喜欢新房间，我喜欢浴室，我喜欢厨房，我喜欢客厅，我喜欢我的男朋友……”
As soon as I’d uttered those words, I wanted to stuff them back into my mouth. My beau just laughed, and we both knew that what I’d said was true.
说出这些话的瞬间，我就想把它们塞进嘴里。男朋友只是笑了笑，同时，我们也知道我说的都是事实。
Five years later, we’re married and getting ready to celebrate our first daughter turning one.
5年后，我们已经结婚了，正在准备给第一个女儿庆祝1岁生日。
—Michelle Planter, Raleigh, North Carolina
04
In the 14 years that we went from classmates tobest friends, I never once consciously thought of him as a lover.
14年间，我们从同学变成了挚友，我从来都没想过要把他当成恋人。
I tried remembering the exact moment I’d fallen for him by reliving all those moments that had made us laugh, fight, cry, and ache for each other. Try as I might, I could not recall it.
我努力回想爱上他的那个瞬间，回想那些一起欢笑，一起奋斗，一起哭泣，以及需要彼此的时刻。我尽力了，可还是想不起来。
Then it came to me on our wedding day. I had been in love with him all along.
然后，婚礼那天，我才意识到，原来我一直都爱着他。
—Priyanka Prasad, Dumfries, Virginia
05
I was in the hospital having my tonsils removed. The guy was going to pick me up after he got off work, at 5 p.m. But I was discharged early, at 3:15, and the nurse asked if someone would be picking me up.
我在医院做扁桃体切除手术。他下班后要来接我，约的5点。可是，我3点15就做完了，于是护士问有没有人来接我。
Just then, it hit me.
就在这时，我突然明白了。
“Yes, my boyfriend,” I said, smiling. “He isn’t supposed to be here until five, but he won’t be able to wait that long. He’ll get here early because he’ll be worried about me.”
“有的，我男朋友来接我，”我笑着回答，“说好5点来的，可他等不了那么久。他会早点来接我的，因为他很担心我。”
Sure enough, he was there 15 minutes later.
果然，15分钟后他就来了。
—Traci Stout, Beaverton, Oregon
06
It was during a painful argument.
我是在一次痛苦的争吵中确定了他就是对的人。
We sat across from each other, trying to sort it out. Exhausted, I said, “I don’t know what to do. Tell me what you want to do.”
我们面对面坐着，想把事情搞清楚。我特别累，说了句：“我不知道要怎么办，就说你想怎么样吧。”
He said nothing. Instead, he just kissed me.
他什么也没说，只是吻了我。
—MJ Star, York, Pennsylvania
07
Previous dates brought me red roses, candy,even jewelry.
之前的约会，对方送的都是红玫瑰、糖果，甚至还有珠宝。
Instead, he brought food—Looney Tunes frozen dinners, to be precise. He said, “I looked in your fridge; it was pretty empty.”
然而，他送给我的是吃的——准确地说，是Looney Tunes 的冷冻简餐。他说：“我看了看你的冰箱，里面什么都没有。”
How could I not fall in love?
这叫我如何不心动？
—Suzie Berberich, Dryden, Michigan
08
We were driving down the road when a rabbit ran out in front of us. He swerved to avoid it.
我们在路上开车时，一只兔子跑到了我们面前。他转向避开了兔子。
Although I was pleased by his show of compassion, he won my heart when he called it a “bunny.”
虽然我很满意他富有同情心的举动，但是，他叫我“小兔几”的时候，才赢得了我的心。
—Mary Lou McCowan, LeRoy, New York
09
We met through Facebook, got to chatting online, and hit it off, even though we’d never met face-to-face.
我们在Facebook上认识，然后开始聊天，即使从来没有线下见过面，但我们依然聊得很开心。
One day, after having gone through a rough breakup, I typed out, “I’m so stubborn, and nobody wants to put up with me.” He wrote back, “I’ve never said that.”
有一天，和对象粗暴地分手后，我找他聊天，“我太固执了，没人愿意忍受我。”他回复道：“我从来都没说过这些话。”
A year later,I moved from America to Ireland to be with him. We’re married and expecting ababy.
一年后，我从美国搬去了冰岛，和他在一起。现在我们已经结婚了，还打算要个孩子。
—Abigail Taylor, Waterford, Ireland
10
One night, he asked me out for a drink. I said yes. We talked until closing time, and then he drove me home.
有天晚上，他约我出去喝一杯，我答应了。我们一直聊到了打烊，然后他开车送我回家。
At my door, he leaned down and ever so tenderly brushed my lips with his.
在我家门口，他俯下身来，非常温柔地，用嘴唇拂过我的嘴唇。
That was all it took.
这，就是我心动的原因。
I fell in love with him that night and stayed that way until his death.
那晚我就爱上了他，并且一直深爱着他，直到42年后他去世。
Do I still love him? Oh, yes.
我现在还爱着他吗？噢，当然了。
—Barbara Young, Independence, Missouri
