34 www. ReadMPM. com | www.MountPl easantMagaz i ne. com | www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com When winter feels dark and heavy but glittery hearts, red roses and chocolates line store shelves, even the most cynical among us can fall in love with love. Why not? Love gives life meaning. It helps us out of bed on those cold mornings and gives us lovely dreams at night. This month we invite you into the love stories of three Mount Pleasant couples: John and Debbie, Abbie and Mark and Don and Libby. We dare you to read them and not smile. THE FIRST ONLINE DATERS John and Debbie Chitwood met in another time: 1999, the year Al Gore “invented” the internet (insert laughemoji). Email existed, but smart phones were still a few years away. Dial-up modem tones and “you’ve got mail” were the soundtracks of the most tech-savvy among us. John and Debbie were Lowcountry strangers dabbling in the brave new world of online dating. There was not— yet—an app for that, but chat rooms and websites like classifieds.com were becoming the rage. John’s editor at Mount Pleasant Magazine knew he was diving into this unknown world, so she asked for a story. “It was supposed to be about the dos and don’ts of online dating,” he said. “You know, “do” meet in a public place, “don’t” give out your home address.” Meanwhile, a friend of Debbie’s set up a profile for her, knowing she wouldn’t take the step for herself. Then she hit the ground running. “There was a spot where you checked what you wanted in a partner,” said Debbie. “I checked almost everything, Real love stories from the heart of the Lowcountry BY LEAH RHYNE Mount Pleasant Meet Cutes
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