Inspired by the New York Times column “Modern Love,” I will be highlighting all kinds of love stories throughout the series. For this article, I decided to interview a few people close to me and share their love stories. To have your love story told, you can contact me personally or Her Campus @ RIT through our email or social media @hercampusRIT.
“There was some matchmaking going on”
Little did they know an indoor bicycle delivery in 1956 would lead to almost 60 years of marriage. She had her hair in curlers and was not anticipating guests and he was helping his uncle, who had an ulterior motive, deliver an indoor bicycle. Both of them were seeing other people at the time, but they decided to become friends. Before leaving for college, he asked her out to her country club, after being encouraged by his uncle to do so. She was not necessarily the country club type, so they compromised on seeing a movie. He left for college and she finished out her senior year of high school, but they stayed in touch and towards the end of the year, he escorted her to her senior prom. As the summer ended, they were both headed to different colleges and decided not to date seriously. By his junior year of college she was taking weekend trips from Penn State to Drexel University to visit him and their relationship became more serious. They continued to grow together through their weekend adventures and fights over the phone. By the time they got married in 1961, they had been in each other’s lives for five years and he eventually got to go to the country club. “We were best friends and we were in love, that is what makes for a strong marriage,” he said. 60 years later, they are still as in love as they were on their wedding day. He still gets enamoured by her beauty and she still laughs at his corny jokes. “I had a best friend once, then I married her.”
“That is a girl you marry”
It was a warm October night, and two strangers found themselves standing next to each other as a fight between two girls broke out in a bar. Their curiosity about the fight was used as a conversation starter, although it is unclear who approached the other first. She says he used the fight as an excuse to talk to her, but he says she used the fight as an excuse to talk to him. After a brief exchange she walked away, but he knew he could not let the girl with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen vanish in the crowd. His friend clapped him on the back and said, “she is way out of your league.” However, he was never one to back down from a challenge. He took the opportunity to get to know her. After bar hopping until three in the morning, they walked down to the beach where they sat and talked until the sun rose. He was the lead singer and guitarist of a local band and she was visiting home for the weekend from her apartment in NYC, where she lived and worked. Early that morning they drove to their respective homes, but before she left he asked for her phone number–without kissing her goodbye, even though he wanted to. Being that she was only in town for the weekend, they saw each other again the next night. He told his friend about the girl from the bar and he said, “that is a girl you marry.” She went back to NYC, but that was not going to stop him. They talked on the phone constantly and he took many trips to visit her. By February of that same year she moved back home to be with him. Six years later, the same friend who told him that she was marriage material and way out of his league, stood as the best man at their wedding.
“Let’s see where this takes us”
It was the first week of college for both of them; freshman at Rochester Institute of Technology. Through friends of friends, they ended up at the same party. The group was headed to a bar downtown for college night. He thought she brought a fun energy to the crowd and found her extremely nice and approachable; he knew they would become good friends. She thought he was very easy to talk to and looked forward to getting to know him better. Unfortunately, he did not make it into the bar that night. He was turned away at the door for wearing a white t-shirt, but he told her to go inside and he would take her sick friend home. He stayed with her friend until she returned home to take over. She did not know him well, but his actions that night left a great impression on her. After two years of friendship, she invited him to her 21st birthday party. That night, they talked more than they ever had in the past. She knew he was a good guy and continued putting in effort after the party to talk to him, even though he had to go back to Buffalo for his internship. She always asked him about his day, something that he had never had anyone ask him before. He knew this was going somewhere, but more than that, he wanted it to go somewhere. They talked all of winter break and both made plans to spend more time together when the spring semester started. After seeing each other within their friend group, it was time for their first real date. She was so nervous and excited that she went through three outfit options. They had instant chemistry and talked for so long that neither of them ate the meals they ordered. They went back to his house and he let her put on a romantic comedy of her choosing. She cuddled up next to him and thought to herself, “I could not be happier.” As the night was nearing its end, he knew he was ready for the next step. “That’s my girl,” he thought to himself and asked her to be his girlfriend.