One of the most frequent questions we pose to our guests while
gathered around the kitchen table during Sunday dinners is:
“So, how did you two
meet?”
Surprisingly, the story telling process follows the same predictable
pattern. Husband and wife look at each
other smiling as if to say, “Are you
going to tell this, or me?” Husband
starts talking, wife interjects with minute details that can only be remembered if you are female, and at some point
they disagree on exactly how the events went down. The story then becomes he-said versus
she-said. The tale ends happily
ever after with anecdotes from their honeymoon on an island in the Caribbean or
Hawaii.
One of my favorite “How
did you two meet” stories comes from the S. family. While
I’m an obviously absent third party with a selective memory, here is my version of how
Mr. and Mrs. S. fell in love:
Mr. S. met the future Mrs. S. at a singles activity
sponsored by their church. Mrs. S. could
tell that Mr. S. was interested, but played it cool and coy. Several days later, Mrs. S. receives a text
from one of the church leaders saying,
“Hey, give this guy a
chance!”
Then, Mr. S. makes his move.
At a church blood drive, Mr. S. requests that he be seated next to the
gurney where Mrs. S. is being prepped and poked for donation. While reclining, right arms oddly angled out
like a cyclist’s turn signal, blood slowly dripping into meticulously labeled plastic
bags, Mr. S. and the future Mrs. S. chat, and flirt, and fall in love. Many dates and months later, Mr. and Mrs. S.
get married and honeymoon in the Dominican Republic.
After hearing their story, I wondered if United Blood
Services, Match.com, and producers of the Twlight
movies ought to seriously considering working together. Who
knows what lives could be saved from a “Give
Blood – Fall in Love” advertising campaign.
For dinner I served most of my usual dishes: Heavenly Chicken over Brazilian Rice, sautéed
green beans with almonds and bacon, fresh corn salad with basil, and parmesan
rolls. Mrs. S. brought a fruit salad of
watermelon, grapes and bananas—all of my kids’ favorites. For dessert, I tested out a new brownie
recipe from allrecipes.com that turned out very tasty over vanilla ice cream,
chocolate sauce, and chopped nuts.
After our dinner guests recount their “How did you two meet?” story, we are often posed the same
question. This Sunday, Kate decided to answer. It was both interesting
and entertaining to hear Kate narrate an oddly jumbled, inaccurate version of
how her parents met. The truth is, we don’t really have a creative, romantic
story like Mr. and Mrs. S. However, I’m
wondering if I ought to invent one just to spice up the Sunday dinner
conversation.
Better yet, next week, we’ll have Jack and Rock deliver the Story of Us. Something like,
"Mommy and Daddy met at a Superhero Lego convention. Daddy was dressed as Captain America, Mommy was Cat Woman....."
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