I was picking up my four-year-old daughter at a friend’s house, and my husband-to-be was retrieving his canoe. He came up and asked if I canoed. I said yes, but how about my daughter? When he said that she was more than welcome to join the fun, love began.
—Linda
Postscript: We’ve been married 34 years and have five daughters and five grandchildren.
Our play had been a success, though of course I hadn’t liked it much. She’d been great, though, and somehow the looseness and wild relief of the after party buoyed me across the room to her. She said she’d never seen me like this – cheery, the smile on my face without a trace of irony.
— Steve
Postscript: We dangled our feet in a pool, later that night, and quietly talked till dawn as we watched the darting reflections on the water.
As soon as I heard the twinkling opening tune of my all-time favorite song, “String of Pearls” by Glen Miller, my legs were already itching to get out on the dance floor. The wedding reception of mutual friends was where my favorite song, met my favorite guy. I couldn’t help it; I led through most of the song and even accidentally swung my future husband that night into the reception hall post.
—Jackie
Postscript: “String of Pearls” still does it to me – reminding me of staring love in the eyes and never wanting to let go.
It just so happened the other six people we were supposed to meet on the train platform to go to a movie never showed up (not a date). The train moved three blocks and then shut down. While it was stalled, we chatted with a bum: bottle in a bag, week-old beard. “How long you two been together?” “Oh, no, we’re not dating.” He took a swig. “Uh-huh.” Then, confidingly, to the boy: “You stick with her, my man; that’s the one you gonna marry.”
—Ann
Postscript: We were together nine years before we got married six years ago. Two kids. We still take the train to movies.
We had plans to go out, but I got a really bad cold and had to cancel. He called to see how I was feeling and said he was out running errands. About five minutes after we hung up, the doorman called and said I had a package. I found a care package of chicken noodle soup, orange juice, cough drops and a beautiful sunflower plant.
—Shermi
Postscript: I was so touched because he was so thoughtful and he didn’t even know if I liked him. We started dating and got engaged five months later.
Love is like finding the perfect pair of shoes. When I met my husband, it was like finding a pair of shoes that were so comfortable, strong and beautiful; I knew I would walk in them forever.
—Rose
Postscript: We’ve been walking together ever since.
A boring night of serving drinks turned into a life-changing event, when a boy walked into my bar and caught my eye. When he later introduced himself, I found out he was from Chicago and played drums in one of the bands that would be playing the show I was working that night. I discovered his band was one I had loved for years.
After we spent all night awkwardly flirting with each other, I thought to myself, “Now, why can’t I meet a guy like this?” but quickly realized, “Wait! I did!” We spent the rest of the night/early morning talking and falling hard for each other. Two weeks later, we split the cost of a plane ticket for me to fly from Philadelphia to Chicago for a visit.
—Lychee
Postscript: Almost four years later, I’ll have lived in Chicago for three years, and we’re still going strong.
