Photo: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock
By Caithlin Pena — Written on Aug 05, 2020
Is there really anything more romantic than a long-distance relationship that can truly stand the test of both time and distance?
We've all heard those stories. Couples coming together because of the power of the internet, then falling in love, and having a sweet, heartfelt meeting for the very first time at the airport.
It's basically the equivalent of any feel-good happy ending to every rom-com you've ever watched.
However, sadly not all love stories end this way. And especially these days when it comes to online dating, it's not always a guarantee that you're going to get that fairy tale, happily ever after ending that you've been waiting for and dreaming of.
In 2016, that's probably what then-41-year-old Alexander Pieter Cirk was hoping for when he flew from the Netherlands to China to finally meet his online girlfriend, a then-26-year-old simply named "Zhang."
Unfortunately, Zhang wasn't quite on the same page as Cirk when he told her that he was coming for a visit and a romantic first meeting. According to reports, Cirk had informed Zhang that he was coming to visit her, but she didn't believe him and thought that he was joking!
"We had advanced our romantic relationship but later he seemed a little callous toward me," Zhang told a local station at the time. "One day he sent me a photo of air tickets abruptly, and I thought it was a joke. He didn't contact me later."
In the interview, Zhang said that she had made plans to get plastic surgery done in another city, so her phone was off and Cirk could not contact her.
"But Cirk waited. He waited for 10 days hoping his girlfriend would show up, just like she had promised," a report had said.
The poor Dutch man was eventually found frail at the airport and was later taken to the hospital in order to recover.
Meanwhile, Zhang was still in recovery from the plastic surgery procedure she had done, but she had told media that she was still interested in maintaining their romantic relationship.
Unfortunately, because Cirk spent most of his time in China waiting for his girlfriend who would never arrive, he had to return back to the Netherlands soon after.
It's kind of tragic, isn't it?
But perhaps this whole affair would allow Cirk and Zhang to work on their communication skills, so that the next time one ends up visiting the other, no one will be left hanging at the airport.
Hey, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be.
Caithlin Pena is a writer and editor for YourTango who enjoys books, movies, and music and writes fictional short stories as a hobby.
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Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in August 2016 and was updated with the latest information.