How One Couple Fell In Love In The Aisles Of ShopRite

For this month's Love In A Small Town feature, we asked Patch readers to tell us the story behind their romantic chance encounters. This is Maureen White's story:

“Feeling eyes on me, I looked up as I put my organic produce in the cart and once again I saw this man staring at me from across the aisle — no smile, just a blank stare. My heart started pounding and I almost felt short of breath again and could not understand why I was having this reaction to a stranger.

You see, three months earlier, the exact same scenario occurred. I was with my daughter food-shopping at the ShopRite on Route 37 in Toms River. I looked up as I was putting my avocados in my cart to find this guy staring at me! I was overcome by this strange feeling in my chest, and my daughter said, ‘Mom, that guy is looking at you.’

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with his stare and my bizarre reaction I said, ‘I know, let’s get out of the aisle.’ A couple of aisles later, my daughter said, ‘Mom, that guy just walked by real slow looking at you.’ Then a couple aisles later, she said the same thing. I told her not to look at him and nervously continued my shopping, confused yet excited by my reaction and secretly hoping to see him again.

As I was finishing up my shopping in the last aisle putting my yogurt in the cart, I looked up and saw him, very slowly staring at me as he rounded the corner to the aisle before. We intently looked at each other, yet neither one of us smiled as he walked out of sight. My heart started pounding and I felt out of breath again. Why was I having such a intense reaction to someone I didn’t even know? This had never happened before, and it was freaking me out!

Although he crossed my mind a few times that day, the days passed, and he became a distant memory — that is, until three months later, when I was in the produce aisle at the same exact place and he was standing in the exact same spot staring at me again!

I felt those same bodily reactions as three months prior, and feeling freaked out by it, I left the aisle. This time my daughter was not with me to provide the play-by-play as I strolled down the aisles. Therefore, I went through all the aisles wondering where he was and if he was looking for me!

As I was leaving aisle 14, there was an end cap to go around to aisle 15. It was at that bend that God decided to intervene to make sure that we met! As I went around the bend, he was coming from the other direction and we collided carts, both of us like a deer in headlights. As he continued to walk past me, he nervously said, ‘How ya doin’?’ once again with no smile. I responded, ‘I’m doing great.’ A few seconds later, it’s as if God spoke through me because I had no intention of saying anything more, yet found myself saying, ‘How are you doing?’

After saying that, I said to myself, ‘Where did that come from?’ but noticed him backing up. I asked, ‘Do I know you?’ and he said, ‘I think just from in here.’ He then asked me a few more questions and we found that we lived a half-mile away from each other. Shoppers started getting impatient as we blocked the way to aisle 15. He then asked me if I would want to get together and talk more. As I said yes, I started walking down aisle 15 to get out of the shoppers’ way. He frantically pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and said, ‘Wait! This is the important part!’ My heart skipped a beat as I gave him my phone number. He said he would call me.

Ten minutes later as I was waiting in line to check out, I pulled out my phone to find a missed call from him already! Surprised yet excited, I called him back to find that as he was putting my name in his phone, he had accidentally called me. He asked if I wanted to get together the next day for lunch or dinner.

Although we knew that the way we met just had to be fate, seven months later, we realized we are the love of each other’s lives and best friends with a physical, emotional and spiritual bond that is stronger than life itself. We now food shop together every weekend where it all started, acknowledging aisle 15 every time and have a new appreciation for ShopRite!

For all of you out there still looking for the love of your life, do not feel you need to go to a bar or even online. Fate can happen anywhere, at any time — yes, even in aisle 15!”

—Maureen White

See all Patch "chance encounters" here.

For next month's Love In A Small Town feature, we want to help you give Mom the best Mother's Day gift ever. Write her a heartfelt letter to tell her how much she means to you, email it to locallove@patch.com and we'll feature it in your town's newsfeed on Mother's Day. Get more details here.

Photo Credit: Maureen White