Now, of course, I know exactly what I should have said to her. It would have been a long speech, though, far too long for me to have delivered it properly. The ideas I come up with are never very practical.
Oh, well. It would have started "Once upon a time" and ended " A sad story, don't you think?"

On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning
The Elephant Vanishes ~ Haruki Murakami

One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku neighborhood, I walk past the 100% perfect girl.
Tell you the truth, she's not that good-looking. She doesn't stand out in anyway. Her clothes are nothing special. The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep. She isn't young, either - must be near thirty, not even close to a "girl", properly speaking. But still, I know from fifty yards away: she is the 100% perfect girl for me. The moment I see her, there's a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert.

Opening lines, On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning
The Elephant Vanishes ~ Haruki Murakami