I have always been drawn to a good love story. I read all the romance novels. I watch all the romance movies (even the cheesy ones). I’m always the first person to ask how a couple met because I genuinely want to know. Love stories fascinate me. They make my heart happy and feed the romantic in me. Which brings me to this story – the first love story I ever heard – my parents’ story. I may be slightly biased but their story is magical and a true example of what is meant to be will be.
So without further ado, here is their love story.
Richard was a New York City boy. Carolyn was a South Jersey girl. A seven year age difference and living in two different worlds, no one would have guessed their paths would cross. But they did on July 19th, 1980. It was at the wedding of Rich’s college buddy (and Carolyn’s older brother) Jim, to his lovely bride Christiane. Weddings are a perfect place to catch the eye of someone new. Which is exactly what Carolyn did to Rich on the dance floor. A dance that could have been the start of something was quickly broken up when they were pulled off of each other, and Rich was told to back off of Jim’s little sister. He had no idea who he had been dancing with or that she was only 17 years old. The spark that had appeared for one brief moment had now been doused. As the wedding came to an end, they both went their separate ways most likely to never see each other again.
Five years later…
Carolyn was out with her girlfriends on a random Friday night in Philadelphia. They were walking down South Street and saw a sign for psychic readings at Pizzeria Uno. The readings were only $5 with a purchase of an individual pizza. WHAT A DEAL! At least that’s what they thought as they waited inside. Carolyn was a bit of a skeptic when it came to readings. They were fun but they always seemed like a bunch of baloney. She didn’t really have high hopes for “Anna” the Pizzeria Uno psychic. But Anna was not your run-of-the-mill psychic. Noticing Carolyn’s demeanor of skepticism as she sat down to start, Anna decided to flex her abilities by telling Carolyn things no stranger would know. She tells her that she has a big event coming up, to which Carolyn nods not wanting to give any more than she has to. Anna continues, “You are going to be late. It is beyond your control so don’t get upset. Once you get there you will be seated at a table. At some point your attention will be drawn to the door. Someone from your past is going to walk in. When you see him you will smile and wave. He will wave back. That is the man you are going to marry”. Carolyn leaves slightly weirded out and unsure what to make of what Anna said. Her and her friends talk about it afterward and just laugh it off. There’s no way this woman was legit.
A couple weeks later, Carolyn is in the car with her parents on their way to her nephew Michael’s baptism. On the way, their car breaks down and they end up missing the church ceremony. They make it in time for the reception and sit down to enjoy the festivities. Not knowing why, Carolyn looks up at the door as two men walk in. She knows both of them as her brother’s friends, Bill & Rich. She smiles at them and waves. Rich waves back. He walks over and they start talking. He tells her the story of why he was late. Apparently Bill was an hour late to pick him up. Bill’s excuse was that his alarm didn’t go off because of daylight savings time. The problem is the hours “fall back” this time of year not forward, so really he was two hours late. The reason didn’t matter, all that mattered was that the delay made them walk in at exactly the right time. No one seemed to mind that Rich was talking to Jim’s younger sister now. If anything, some family members kept pushing them closer together. They spend the whole party together talking and getting to know one another more. When it is time to say goodbye, they exchange phone numbers and make plans to go on a date the next week.
After waiting five years to see her again, Rich wastes no time locking Carolyn down. Within a month he buys her a pre-engagement ring, a blue topaz (her birthstone), while visiting his brother for Thanksgiving. Then a few months later on February 2nd, 1986, he asks her to marry him with the ring tied to a bouquet of roses. When you ask him why he proposed within such a short period of time Richard says, “When you know, you know. I knew I wanted to get married and I knew I wanted to marry her”. And he did marry her on May 31st, 1987.
Now it is 33 years, 2 daughters, and a lot of life later. Although their relationship has changed over the years, the strong foundation of love still remains. There have been good times and bad, but through it all they have always chosen each other.
This was the love story that made me LOVE love. It is the story that I have looked up to. It is the type of love that I have always wanted to find for myself (that’s a story for another day). In my opinion, it is all the proof you need that great love exists.
Richard, a romantic himself, has always loved to write about his love for Carolyn and continues to do so to this day. Whether with a poem or a Facebook post (he’s adapted with the times), he enjoys sharing his feelings with the world.
I will leave you with something he wrote for Carolyn on their 30th Wedding anniversary.
“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. Laughter seems part of daily life. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. You open your heart and you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting, and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is knowing that they are a part of your life. To my love, Richard”.