We ended up ordering simple pasta dishes and talked for hours about our dreams, our families, and the kind of lives we hoped to build. By the end of the night, I realized how genuine and kind she was.

What started as a stressful dinner had turned into one of the most meaningful conversations of my life. Walking her to her car, I couldn’t stop smiling. That strange question at the start had opened the door to a deeper connection than I’d ever expected.

Years later, she’s my wife, and we still laugh about that first date. We’ve been through plenty of challenges together, but we always come back to that lesson: true value isn’t found in the price of a meal, a house, or even a gift. It’s found in the way two people face life side by side, choosing honesty, patience, and love above everything else. And to this day, whenever we go out to eat, she still teases me by asking the waiter the same question—with a playful wink that reminds me how it all began.