Most, but not all, humans dedicate a great deal of their life to meeting ‘the one’. Some are lucky that happens early in life, others have to wait a bit or a lot longer, and maybe appreciate it more because of that.
If you’re a person who’s still waiting and wondering when this seemingly mythical person is going to wander into your life, I thought I’d share a couple of true life stories to inspire you!
My parents
My mum and dad were together for over 50 years and married for over 40, but their meeting was quite original.
My dad was in the merchant navy, he sailed on the great Queens Elizabeth and Mary. He was adopted, and from a home that didn’t make the teenager happy but he later looked upon with gratitude, knowing that he was loved. As such he left home at the age of 16 and joined up.
My mum was from a very happy home, she had two sisters, but even though she was the eldest she was also the quietest and probably the most naïve. Her parents actually knew my father for a few years before my mum met him, as did both her middle and younger sisters. However, nan and grandad made sure my mum didn’t meet him, because he was in the process of waiting 5 years for a divorce, and much as they liked him a great deal he was troubled, and all loving parents want the best of the best for their children don’t they. It was really easy because they knew him from the local pub and my mum was teetotal, but a sixth sense told them not even to mention her to him, or him to her.
My father used to miss the newspapers, so on one occasion he asked my nan would she write to him every week and enclose that week’s papers. She said yes, meant no because she couldn’t spell very well, and asked my mum to write to my dad and sign the letters ‘from Nell’. So my mum was writing to my dad and he was receiving letters from his future wife, without knowing each other existed.
The meeting!
My mum went out one evening, and when she got back to her front door she realised that she’d forgotten her keys. She knew her parents would be at the pub, so she went down to find them, except she was too shy to go in so she waited outside.
The door opened and the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, came out to have a cigarette. He saw my mum hovering by the door and asked “Can I help you little girl?” Mum was 23 and looked 16, she even had to show my paternal grandmother her birth certificate before she would believe her. Mum explained that she’d forgotten her keys and could he please go and ask her parents to bring some keys out.
Dad obviously asked who her parents were, and she said Nell and Charlie. Dad looked at her and said “But you’re not Vera, and you’re not Diana, who are you?” She replied “I’m Barbara”. That was that, my grandparents fears were well founded as they were together from that moment. Mum waited 5 years to marry dad and had to marry him in a registrar’s office as church weddings weren’t available to divorcees in those days. She didn’t care, looked gorgeous, and everyone who went said the party at the pub afterwards was the party of the century.
Deb Hawken 