The Best Missed-Connection Story, Ever

Couples meet on the subway more often than you'd think. And, why not? New Yorkers of all walks of life use the transit system every day, and there are plenty of opportunities to be up-close and personal with a train babe. Thus, the Missed Connections section of Craigslist is replete with stories of chance meetings on the MTA. Often, these posts are titled "girl with red hair on 1 train" or "our eyes met at the 23rd street stop." A new post, however, takes the cake: "We were married for three days in 1989, and I saw you on the subway."

The author's post reads like a summary of a heart-wrenching romantic film. He met his wife when they were both students at NYU. And, despite their youth, he was mad for her, but kept his distance. We nearly died when he explains that "the youthful pressure to keep things 'casual' often yanked at the oversensitive ventricles of my heart." Things changed when, on a Sunday evening, their friends dared each other to get married — the first couple to do it would get $30, the cost of a marriage license. The writer decided to take the dare: "The next morning, inspired as much by the novelty of the bet as my affection for you, I asked if you wanted to go to City Hall and get married — you said yes." Afterward, "half-drunk and half-in-love, we returned to the dorm room, where our roommates, laughing through their disbelief, pooled together thirty dollars."

Afraid of their parents' reactions, they had the marriage annulled just three days later. And, even though they spent the rest of the semester in a mild romance, the author later moved to Japan to take care of his dying father. Fast forward 25 years, and he's spotted his former wife on the L train. "When I saw you, I felt all those years folding in on themselves, and have now spent the entire morning wondering what your life is like. It is perhaps an absurd suggestion, but would you maybe like to get a cup of coffee and catch up on a quarter century of life?"

The post is no longer on Craigslist, but you can read the full version on Gothamist. We're not sure if the author was successful. And, there's a small possibility that the post could be completely fiction. But, it's a story that's guaranteed to make your heart drop to your stomach. And, bitter commuters should note that apparently good things do sometimes happen on the L train. (Gothamist)