Have you ever watched one of those predictable, somewhat cringy, fake Hallmark movies that fills you with overwhelming loneliness? Well, maybe they aren’t so fake after all. We’ve got a story like that right here at Bellefonte High (BHS).
Guidance Counselor Mr. Drew Bryan and Sophomore English teacher Mrs. Sarah Bryan can tell you what they want about how they met, but we know the real story. Growing up in the small town of Bellefonte, Mrs. Bryan always dreamed of writing a novel. She loved everything about literature and knew her destiny was there.
Mr. Bryan grew up in Bellefonte as well, but he dreamed big. He always wanted to be a major league baseball player. Mr. and Mrs. Bryan grew up knowing of each other, but never crossed paths… until one day.
When Mr. Bryan was home for the holidays, he found himself not as prepared as he thought he was. He went on a run to Belle Mercantile, searching for a last-minute Christmas present for his mother.
Mrs. Bryan happened to be at Belle Mercantile at the same time. Being the careless baseball player Mr. Bryan was, he knocked into Mrs. Bryan, causing her to spill her latte all over herself.
“He was wearing a groutfit and texting back and forth with some obnoxious group chat about the Penn State playoff game when he proceeded to bump into me, dumping the entire contents of my toasted marshmallow latte down the front of my Folklore cardigan,” Mrs. Bryan said.
He insisted that he would make up for it and buy her a new cardigan. She was disgusted with his ignorance of Taylor Swift. The folklore cardigan is a limited edition that is not sold all of the time.
Although Mrs. Bryan was not impressed with him, he was over the moon for her. Her quippy responses and annoyed attitude were even enough for him to put his phone down. He tried everything to get her attention.
He tried to win her over with the fact he was a major league baseball player, and to some surprise, she didn’t care at all. In all of his jock glory, he even made an effort to read her class assignments and catch up on the novels.
One day as she was strolling down the streets of Bellefonte, she heard a little cry coming from a tree. She looked up to see a little orange tabby kitten stuck in a tree. She got some treats to try and get it down. The kitten was so scared and she couldn’t get it to come down for the life of her.
When Mr. Bryan saw an opportunity to be the hero, he took it. Partly because he wanted Mrs. Bryan to like him, and partly because he secretly has a soft spot for cats. He climbed up in the tree, grabbed the kitten, and saved the day.
He got the kitten food and water and took the kitten in as his own. Mrs. Bryan couldn’t help but fall in love with his charming personality at this point. She had realized that there might have been more behind Mr. Bryan than meets the eye.
“It was the way he helped nurse the kitten back to health. I knew he was more than just a baseball player then,” Mrs. Bryan said.
Mrs. Byan loved the kitten just as much as Mr. Bryan. There was no way she would let him take that kitten away and she got nothing. So Mr. Bryan and Mrs. Bryan co-parented their kitten, Clem.
After this, Mr. and Mrs. Bryan became inseparable. They were over the moon for each other. Unfortunately, Mrs. Bryan felt betrayed by the lack of effort Mr. Bryan began to show raising Clem when baseball season started. To show her how much he cared, he decided to pursue a secondary career and leave his baseball career in the past.
The following Christmas they got married in Talleyrand Park. Mr. Bryan wanted to pursue his new dream, to be the best father he could be for his and Mrs. Bryan’s upcoming baby. Luckily he and her have had practice with their fur baby Clem.
Now that you know the real story, do Hallmark movies still seem cringe and fake to you? Surely they still leave you feeling lonely. Right?
Today, Mr. Bryan coaches the Bellefonte baseball team, and Mrs. Bryan continues to teach English at BHS. Although Mr. Bryan had to make sacrifices for the relationship, he got his dream girl in the end.
