[ WP ] When you propose to your girlfriend , you see a notification appear in field of vision , `` Player 2 Has Joined '' .

All my life, grown ups have told me I will know it when I find my true love. I always begged to know what it was like for them. Even now, as an adult, it's still a favorite conversation opener for me when I meet happily married folks. 
 
 It was n't like I was interested in romance and marriage. I have just always been fascinated by the variety of ways in which people get their true love confirmation. 
 
 The most common scenario is to receive a letter from the president or being visited by a favorite celebrity. The messages in a bottle seemed popular for a while too. Everyday on my drive to work I idly wonder if mine would also be nothing but green lights as long as my partner is with me. 
 
 Maybe something more grand. Like that one guy whose ring rolled out of the box and landed on a winning lottery ticket. My mom and dad's proposal featured an angel's visit. It's rather hard to top that, I think. Marriage with certainty has been one of the best things to have happened to humanity since The Event. It's hard for our generation to imagine what life must have been like during the dark ages. How could one make a leap of faith with someone who, statistically speaking, must surely be wrong for us? Who could invest decades of devotion without knowing if the relationship was doomed to begin with? 
 
 There are sad stories too, of course, and I am morbidly fascinated by those as well: a flock of birds that kaw `` NO''; a lover falling over dead; a shark attack on land; a meteorite strike. And of course, the dreaded Silence. 
 
 Even with those in mind, by far the saddest ones are when only one of the two gets a confirmation. It must surely be one of the greatest tragedies known to man, to know with certainty that one's true love is destined for another. 
 
 What would it mean for Jane and I if that happened to us? Would I pine stoically for her, for the rest of my life? Would I selflessly encourage her to leave me, or pathetically beg her to try anyway even knowing full well it will be doomed? I would never hurt her like some, of course; anyway that's why there's police and emergency services during proposals now. 
 
 Speaking of which, I better get on with it. I can tell Jane ca n't take much more anticipation, and neither can the fire police and ambulance folks. 
 
 I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and blurt out iloveyoujanewillyoumarryme. 
 
 Nothing. 
 
 My heart stops, and I can feel blood drain out of my face. I am going to faint. My lungs feel like they would burst until my brain forced me to breathe again. 
 
 When I finally opened my eyes, I noticed three things simultaneously: Jane's tears rolling down her perfect face, neon coloured letters floating in the centre of my field of vision, which say `` Player 2 Has Joined'', and the same font but smaller in the lower left corner which says `` 1/4 ❤ found''. 
 
 
 

