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

Tel Aviv

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:54:09 +0000

We were right outside Tel Aviv. I had known him briefly from Philadelphia, where he’d been a teacher at a nearby high school.

– Sarah

Postscript: When he pulled up to the curb and strode off his motorcycle, helmet in hand, I fell for him pretty hard.

Literary Love

tdomf_62a71 — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:10:37 +0000

We were just friends, but I was always kinda into him & recently those feelings were getting more intense. Then, at a bookstore one day, he called to me from down the aisle, “Hey! Darling! What book is that?” My heart jumped, flipped, froze and melted.

– Ronni

Postscript: He can call me that anytime.

Crush, Deliberation

admin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:48:06 +0000

It was the end of high school. She’d been my crush for two years, the object of so many furtive glances. My every move toward her was planned, prioritized, considered, debated. We’d become friends; if not close, then trusting. In the final week of school, I tossed deliberation to the winds and asked her out.

— Dan

Postscript: We dated for five, heady months before the separation of college drove us apart.

The Ant and the Grape

tdomf_62a71 — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:34:45 +0000

I was driving the groom into the church parking lot when I saw her. She was hauling this ridiculously huge green Victorian costume she had to wear as bridesmaid out of her compact car. It was like an ant carrying a grape. The groom knew something was up when I fell dead silent in mid-sentence…and stayed silent.

–Irresponsible Uncle Billy

Postscript: Ten years later I was driving the cakes to our own wedding.

Finding my religion

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:00:31 +0000

It was a Friday after work and we went out for famous chicken burritos. I am a practicing Catholic, and remembered it was Lent and I should not be eating meat on Fridays. I quietly said to myself, “oh no it’s Friday.” I didn’t even think he heard me. He did, and immediately spit out his food. I didn’t realize exactly how much my religion meant to me, but having someone share that connection made me realize we had a bond that was deeper than I thought.

—Elena

Postscript: We have been married for 23 years.

Falling for my best friend

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:00:31 +0000

When I was 14, I was devastated when my boyfriend of two months broke up with me for another girl. Upon the break up, his best friend continued to befriend me. Although I dated multiple boys through high school, the two of us hung out every weekend and he was always there for me. He would take me out on dates, tell me I was beautiful, and we would tell everyone that we were getting married (mainly a joke at the time.) But a point came when I knew I loved him. He was the only boy that I had ever been able to rely on, I told him that I wanted to be with him and two days later he hung a huge sign on a watch tower that said “Will you be my girlfriend?” I knew at that point that I couldn’t be any happier than being with my best friend.

—Deb

Post script: We have been dating for two and a half years and are going strong

Finding love in unexpected places

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:00:07 +0000

We become friends at work even though we did not have much in common. He was disciplined, orderly and worked everything through with quiet reserve. I worked like a tornado went through and took “walking talking” breaks. But, I knew he was a good person with a soft heart. Not being the guy for me, I was determined to introduce him to girlfriends, thinking any of them would make a wonderful girlfriend. After several failed attempts—every woman introduced was not his “type.” He finally told me that he was only humoring me because he wanted to spend time with me.

—Ana

Postscript: We were different but we shared morals and values. That’s what brought us together and what has kept us together.

Brought together by Britney

admin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 10:00:53 +0000

It was Britney Spears (and her unfortunate mishap with a razor) that brought us together. Her bald head plastered on my tabloid caught his attention after I had been eying him all afternoon. We were dating a week later. He told me he loved me later that year as we stood in the rain – and I watched him leave for college the next day.

—Rachael

Postscript: It had been years, but this past summer we had a chance to reconnect. Things were not the same as high school and it didn’t end up lasting. I only realized how much he loved me once I stopped loving him.

Conversations and cappuccinos

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:00:57 +0000

Morning coffee runs were our thing. We had different friends and were dating other people, but a few mornings a week he’d pick me up and we’d drink coffee and talk about books. I fell in love with his mind. One morning I got a text from my boyfriend and my heart sank when I saw it wasn’t from the friend; that’s when I knew I’d fallen for the rest of him too.

—Hayley

Postscript: We still are not together…and I am not with the other guy either…

The biker chick

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:00:50 +0000

Our first date was on St. Patrick’s’ Day. I was dressed to kill with a bright green sweater and starched white shirt, pressed khakis and Weejuns. She had jeans and a leather jacket. She suggested a place to go for dinner. Walking in, I noticed the very long bar was full of bikers with heavy boots, lots of ratty hair, wallet-chains and many layers of smoke in the room. I felt sure I only had a few minutes to live. She introduced me to the guys lined up on the wall watching us play. All were friends of hers, keeping an eye out for her safety. I knew she had to be The One.

—Dan

Postscript: for our 25th anniversary, I recorded a 11-minute monologue about this event, remembering my feelings at the time. I presented it to her as a gift. She was thrilled.