Four tales of How They Met
by Anne Vargas
Tale Number One
September, 2002: The bride was from Turkey, living in Washington D.C. She had invited three American friends from her office to attend her wedding in Istanbul. One of them was able to go.
The groom was from Turkey, living in San Francisco. He had invited three American friends from his office to attend his wedding in Istanbul. One of them was able to go.
September, 2003: The wedding was in the California wine country The groom was from Washington, D.C. The bride was from San Francisco. Among the guests was the couple from Turkey. Everyone applauded as a toast of thanks was drunk to them.
Tale Number Two
She was working at a hotel restaurant.
He was working for Otis Elevator Company.
She was delivering a cart of Crème de Menthe Sundays to the banquet room on the top floor.
He was called to repair the elevator that was stuck. It would be romantic to report that she fell into the arms of the knight in shining armor and that they rode off into the sunset to live happily ever after. Alas, that's not what happened.
Nearly hysterical from her 2-hour entrapment, frantic for a restroom and a bit tipsy from Crème de Menthe consumed on an empty stomach, she greeted her rescuer by yelling at him for taking so long to get there and ran down the hall.
He, intrigued by her fiery spirit, followed. And they eventually did ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after.
Tale Number Three, as told by Cupid's helper
She wondered whether her co-worker might be interested in meeting her best friend who was coming from Indiana for a visit. They were both in their 50s, newly single and she thought they might like one another. He vehemently assured her that he had absolutely no interest in any kind of “fix-up”, such things were always a disaster. Idea dismissed. She took the day off to pick up her friend at the San Francisco airport but needed to stop by the office to get something. Her co-worker happened to be passing by. He stopped to introduce himself, sat down to chat, offered coffee and then suggested they all go to lunch the following day, which they did. After they had eaten she returned to the office but he announced he was taking the afternoon off to show her friend around the city. At ten p.m. she was packing the floor with worry, wondering where they were. Six months later she arranged their sunset wedding ceremony overlooking the Bay.
Tale Number Four
She was the only girl in the room wearing pink and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He would later come to know that pink would forever be her favorite color, that she would even wear it at her wedding. Too shy to talk, he simply watched her. When she was ready to leave she dropped the boot she was trying to put on and he rushed to assist. She smiled up at him, gave him her hand and they stared at one another until the kindergarten teacher gently reminded them it was time to go home. He continued to hold her hand throughout grade school, high school and ever after. Valentine's Day is also the anniversary of the day they were married, sixty years ago, neither of them ever having dated anyone else. And, as he has done every year, he showered her with an abundance of pink flowers.