I've Got Mail

One of my top 10 favorite movies of all time is You've Got Mail. If you're not familiar, it's a romantic comedy starring former Sleepless in Seattle couple, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks - an ideal romantic duo if I do say so. The film follows the typical rom-com outline: Two people meet, hate each other with a passion, and then eventually experience a change of heart and fall madly in love. The end.

While it's a predictable chick flick, I love You've Got Mail and am not ashamed to admit my devotion. There's something extra lovely and charming about this film that puts it in a separate category. It's not a cheese-ball chick flick. It's got depth and passion and it takes place in Manhattan in springtime (twitterpation!). Meg Ryan is so pleasant (aside from her overdone collagen-injected top lip that doesn't move) and Tom Hanks is so gosh darn adorable. From the moment their character's meet, you know they'll end up together. That's how a chick flick works. That's why your heart hurts throughout the entire film. You want these goons to recognize their love for each other and you can't take another second of them denying their feelings!

In this case the main characters really despise one another. Tom Hanks' character, Joe Fox, is opening a massive bookstore, Fox Books, right down the block from Kathleen Kelly's (Meg Ryan) independently owned bookshop, Shop Around the Corner, which she took over when her mother passed away. He's the villain. She's the neighborhood princess. Needless to say, they do not get along.

Meanwhile - outside of their business lives - both characters fancy online chat rooms. (The movie was released in 1998. Email was just becoming a hit. Stop making fun of the storyline, ok?) Ironically, each of them met someone online who they emailed daily. "Shopgirl" and "NY152" fall madly in love regardless of the fact that they've never met in person. Little do they know, they're in love with their arch enemies! Oh, the irony!

Joe Fox and his mega-store eventually run Kathleen Kelly out of business. Now at this point, Joe knows Kathleen is Shopgirl. Shopgirl and NY152 arranged to meet in person. She arrived to the meeting place first. When Joe arrived, he figured out that Shopgirl was actually Kathleen Kelly(!!). He kept the secret from Shopgirl and worked hard to make her like him, since he realized he didn't hate this woman. He loved her. The two develop a friendship and after awhile, Fox starts to grow on Kelly. 

As Fox and Kelly build their friendship, Shopgirl and NY152 arrange a second meeting. Shopgirl was originally upset with NY152 because he never showed up for their first meeting (because he got there and realized it was Kathleen Kelly!). Joe Fox is the one who convinces Kathleen to give NY152 a second shot. (But not before they discuss the possibilites of his online name: "152 people who think he looks like Clark Gable"..."152 stitches from his nose job"..."152 years old"...)

Shopgirl meets NY152 in the park on a sunny spring afternoon. She walks around aimlessly, looking for the online man of her dreams. Suddenly, she spots Joe Fox. He nods his head. Yes, Kathleen Kelly, Joe Fox is NY152. He's the man of your dreams. She approaches him and she says through her tears, "I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly." Oh, my heartstrings! He wipes away a tear and says, "Don't cry, Shopgirl." HEARTSTRINGS! How romantic!

Yesterday I found myself in a similar moment. An old "friend" who has been away from home for months said he had a surprise for me. He was mailing me a present. Just something little, he said, that reminded him of me. Last week he said he shipped it and UPS predicted it would arrive on Monday. The strange thing was he sent the package to his house, so I would have to pick it up there. When I asked him why he didn't just mail it to my house, he said, "You'll see."

Yesterday, Monday, he sent me a text saying the package was delivered to his house and I could go pick it up anytime. Ever since he mentioned the surprise, I wondered if it would actually be him. The thought gave me heart palpitations. Therefore, anytime I considered it, I brushed the idea aside. I didn't want to jinx it if it were true.

Later that night I made my way over to his house. I pulled into his driveway and started to get out of the car. His front door opened and there he was, walking across the front lawn towards me with the happiest smile on his face. All along my surprise was him. I threw myself into his arms and squeezed him as tight as I could. And I thought to myself, I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly! 

Just call me Shopgirl.