I think it’s such fun to talk with others about how they met their husband or wife! Even the most reserved people brighten as they tell their story. Blind dates, church groups, friends’ weddings, they all make good stories.

I met my husband in high school. It was the day after Labor Day my sophomore year and I was new to the school. I was sitting at lunch with a group of friends I met at a festival the day before.

He caught my attention as he approached our table. Also new to the school, he’d already hooked up with one of the girls in the group. As he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, I was struck by his self-assurance. Such confidence was an oddity, I thought, among the high school boys I knew. He seemed quite mature for his age, especially with his sideburns and beard.

Now forty years later I still have a clear sense of that meeting. I remember who was there and where they were sitting. I knew that day he was special, although I certainly didn’t imagine then we’d be where we are today.

We never dated in high school. Our circles overlapped and we knew each other casually. He dated many different girls and I dated fewer guys for longer periods. He says now he wasn’t ready for me then. I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll take it as a compliment! I agree that if we’d dated then, we probably wouldn’t be married now.

Our paths crossed occasionally during college breaks. He asked me out a few times, but each time I was dating someone else. Eventually, I was the one who asked him out. I didn’t exactly ask him out; I made up a flimsy excuse about needing him to get my typewriter from his friend, my girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. The ruse worked, although he says he saw right through it. I’m sure he did, too, but that’s OK because it’s worked out pretty well.