By Kai Ma
Where does love find us? Often on the Internet. Sometimes, in a crowd. But for those who are very lucky, it finds us in the most romantic, surprising way—in a massage parlor or love motel, through the accidental reunion or in another country. It doesn’t always find us at first sight, and it can take years—even decades—before you realize that you’ve known your true love all along. As the oft-quoted Rumi wrote, “Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.”
Meeting a beloved is nothing short of a blessing. In fact, some believe it’s a miracle. So in honor of the month of love, we asked readers to share their stories. Here, five couples on their fateful first encounters.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Janny and Eric on their wedding day in Los Angeles, October 17, 2009. Photo credit: Sam Lim Studio
The Set Up
Janny Kim & Eric Kim
Los Angeles, California
Says Janny,
Our mutual friend who introduced us told Eric that I was the “gatekeeper” to all these single, cute girls, and that in order for him to meet them, he would need my stamp of approval. I was like, “Gatekeeper? Who, me? Whatever.” A few months later, the three of us met up at one of those Chinese foot massage parlors in the San Gabriel Valley. I didn’t even remember the “gatekeeper” conversation from months ago. Eric walked in, and I had this feeling that this was the guy I was going to marry. We shared the same sense of wacky humor and immediately clicked over a bowl of shaved ice topped with sweetened red beans. Of course, our mutual friend said this was his ultimate plan all along. He’d secretly set us up, knowing we would like each other!
Says Eric,
“If you want to meet Janny’s single friends, you are going to have to get her stamp of approval…and that ain’t easy dude,” I remember my friend telling me. But really, I wondered, how hard could that be? So I told him, “Fine, set it up.” A few months later, he called me unexpectedly and told me to come out to the San Gabriel Valley. He was with Janny and said this would be a prime opportunity to finally pass her test. Not exactly thrilled to drive out that far but with no expectations, I went and found myself marveling at her cuteness, her unique voice (everyone who knows her knows her voice), and her witty sense of humor. Needless to say, I never did ask about her friends, nor did she ever offer them up!
Amy and Lee, the potential booty call that turned into a relationship.
The Second Chance
Amy Anderson & Lee Hunter
Los Angeles, California
Says Amy,
I have a really awesome boyfriend and we have been together for a little over a year. My best friend originally wanted to set me up with Lee thinking he would be a good booty call! I was a newly single mom with an infant in the beginning of 2008. My friend was urging me to start dating and she had a perfect “fun” guy to hook me up with. She said he probably wasn’t marriage material as he was a stereotypical bachelor, but that we had a lot in common, including motorcycling, and would probably enjoy each other’s company—(wink wink). I balked and protested, but finally agreed to meet him. We hit it off in the personality department, but I wasn’t sure about his looks. There was something about him that just looked dorky! Later, I accidentally bumped into him in the mall and he looked so much cuter. Like, really handsome! I realized that on our first date, he had driven his motorcycle and his helmet made his hair look horrible—like the Dumb and Dumber hair! It was all rainbows and puppy dogs after that. I guess he was just waiting to meet a girl who likes motorcycles. Also, I love that his first name is more Korean than my entire name. Our names and faces together confuse people all the time!
Matthew and Cathreen, who fell in love on a patch of grass.
The Unlikely Candidate
Matthew Salesses & Cathreen Na
Boston, Massachusetts
Says Matthew,
She once said she would never marry an American. We were resting illegally on what seemed the only grass in the city of Busan. I thought I would soon return to the United States, so I didn’t take offense. I’d arrived in Korea a month earlier, and my employer had rented me a red-lit, 10-by-10 windowless motel room with a round bed, porn channels, and calling cards on the stairs for hookers. The night Cathreen and I got together, I played her love songs on my computer. She called this place a “love motel.” See, by the time we got to that grass, we were already fooling ourselves. Something had quietly shifted inside us.
Edward proposed to Sarah during his 15-month deployment in Iraq, and married her the year he returned. Photo credit: Blue22 Photography
The War Story
Sarah Lee & Edward Ahn
Seattle, Washington
Says Sarah:
“The first time I saw Eddie was at an orientation event during law school. It was the summer of 2002, right after the World Cup in Korea/Japan. This random Asian boy was wearing a bright “Be the Reds” shirt, with a red bandana to match. I shook my head at his outfit. Then on Halloween, I saw the same Asian boy dressed head-to-toe in a furry Scooby Doo jumpsuit, walking to and from classes. Again, I shook my head and thought, “Wow, who is this guy…”
Says Eddie:
“I first saw Sarah during my first year of law school. This pretty girl was walking out of the library, and as I passed by her, she immediately caught my eye. She was gorgeous. I remember actually stopping in my tracks. I was floored by her beauty and had lost the ability to walk and gawk at the same time. After law school, I entered the Army. We kept in touch and finally got together one weekend. It was wonderful. A crush realized, a dream come true. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, I was deployed to Iraq and we were separated by thousands of miles, when we wanted nothing more than to be together. During my mid-deployment leave, I proposed. She said “yes,” and I’m still overjoyed that Sarah chose me.
Minhee and Truman met over rice cakes, in the fourth grade.
The Childhood Friend
Minhee Cho & Truman Cho
New York, New York
Minhee says,
We first met in the fourth grade, but didn’t start dating until years later. I recall asking my mother if I could celebrate my birthday the way the other kids did—by sharing cupcakes with all of my classmates. To my dismay, not knowing how to bake a cupcake, let alone knowing what a cupcake even was, my good-hearted mother brought over traditional Korean rice cakes (tteok) instead. All the other kids refused to eat them and made fun of me. That is, everyone except one boy named Truman. I didn’t know it at the time, but Truman said he ate as much as he could because he saw how sad I was. We grew up in the same town with the same group of friends but never considered taking our relationship beyond that. Years later, we ran into each other after college and reconnected, realizing how much we had in common in our love for the arts and especially, for food. Maybe it is true that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!
Truman says,
True story: My older sister, upon seeing my fourth grade class picture, pointed at Minhee and said, “Hey Tru, you should date her. She’s going to grow up to be very pretty.”
I answered, as any typical 9-year-old boy would, with “Ew. She’s a FOB!” After running into Minhee years later, my sister’s prophetic words came back to haunt me, and I realized just how beautiful a woman Minhee had indeed grown up to become. (Decades later, my wife still won’t let me live those words down.) I actually vividly remember the rice cake episode and recall trying to convince some of the non-Asian classmates to expand their culinary palettes—which looking back, was no small feat. Ironically however, these days Min and I can enjoy Korean rice cakes as much as anyone, but truth be told, we still prefer cupcakes just a little bit more.
