It Was Love When: Tales from the Beginning of Love » smart

An Old Friend

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:30:10 +0000

Very soon after starting to date my husband, I suspected that we would marry. It’s not that the infatuation was more intense than in other relationships. It was just a sense of recognizing my husband, as if I were walking down the street and happened to run into an old friend.

—Rachel

Postscript: We have been married for 19 years.

Torah From Last Night

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:40:55 +0000

After a few days sending ridiculously flirty texts, she sent me an email which discussed esoteric readings of that week’s Torah portion. She was unsurprised when I had an even more esoteric reading in response.

— Jon

Postscript: Our next meeting somehow found a golden mean between the two.

Noir

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:33:26 +0000

Tired of trying the old singles party tricks , I went up to him – thin, a small smile beneath his lively eyes – and asked if he wanted to leave and grab some coffee. “Ok,” he said softly, “but only if we can talk about 50s noir while we drink.”

—Lisa

Postscript: We’re still drinking coffee, still watching 50s noir, and still adamantly avoiding the old singles’ parties.

A Street Car Named Designer

admin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:22:21 +0000

Seeing a new play, a pert be-skirted woman sat down on the seat next to me. As the play progressed, I grew a little tired of the actors, but the set kept on impressing me. “I wish the cast would leave and I could just hang out on the set,” I said to my mysterious companion. “I designed that,” she said immediately.

—Rob

Postscript: We did hang out on the set that night, and it turned out our love of her work wasn’t the only thing we have in common.

Heretic Love

admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:35:41 +0000

On my third day in college, a discussion leader divided up a class for a debate. One side of the room would defend the existence of God, the other deny it. As people shuffled around uncomfortably at the most poorly designed ice breaker of all time, I noticed that the atheist side was just me and a beautiful brunette. “Heretic,” she whispered at me.

—Ben

Postscript: Six godless months later, she’s still whispering sly witticisms in my ear.

Financial Security is so Sexy

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:07:20 +0000

I found out he had perfect credit.

— Ci Ci

Postscript: After five years that’s not the only reason I love him but it helps to remember during a fight.

Book Lovers

tdomf_62a71 — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:21:47 +0000

We met while working together at a pizza place. I was working through college and he was working part-time to supplement his income. He told a friend that he liked me and so we began talking more and more. Finally, we went on a date and during the date he had mentioned how much he liked to read and some books that he enjoyed. I, an avid reader as well, had some books by that same author so I told him I would let him borrow them. After a few weeks, we continued talking and dating, he came to work (on a day he had off) and said he wanted to return the books and would just put them in my car. I handed him my keys and when I finished my shift I found the most beautiful rose and note.

—L

Postscript: That was just the beginning of our story. We were married 4 years after this.

Harold and Kumar

tdomf_62a71 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:10:52 +0000

I met him at work and only hardly knew him when I blurted out an incredibly cheeky, low-brow remark. I immediately regretted it, but he laughed heartily. Later I asked him if he had seen the film Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and he replied by quoting me lines from the film. That’s when I first fell for him.

—irie

Postscript: It didn’t last. I still miss him and feel awful about messing it up. And I still love Harold and Kumar.

Go for the joke

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:51:08 +0000

We both have the “go for the joke” gene—that risk-taking, occasionally destructive tendency to joke about anything, anywhere. Early on, I knew she was smart, funny, willing to take chances and shared the same twisted sense of humor. I would never be bored, always challenged and we could laugh about anything. That’s huge.

—Rob

Postscript: We married three years later, after many laugh-so-hard-it-hurts landmarks and the occasional joke dud. She still makes me laugh.