How We Met--- Was It April Fool’s Day for Yu?

                                                                                      

      He asked me: “What’s your name?” on Nov. 8th, 1990.

      “I don’t have an English name. Why don’t you give me one?” I answered.

      He looked at the tiny peanut on the necklace I wore and said: “How about…Peanut?”

      “OK.”

      Many of my lovely friends here have asked me: “How did you meet your hubby?” Curiosity probably is one of the reasons why the world is still exciting… Well, to tell the story, I have to thank Peter.

      Taipei, my home town, was a terrible mess due to the construction of the MRT system 23 years ago. Streets were dug up, buildings destroyed, new buildings being constructed, heavy equipment everywhere, mounds of dirt and so many workers it looked like a colony of ants. It was a dark time for Taipei’s traffic. All this construction did not help Taipei’s notorious pollution. The MRT project brought in many engineers from all over the world. One of my best friends, Julia, had a fiancé named Mike, one of the engineers from Britain. Julia asked if I would like to meet one of Mike’s colleagues. I know what she was thinking.  She was hoping that the colleague and I would somehow like each other, fall in love… and end up immigrating to England with her. Then she would have a good friend there and would not be lonely.

      So, we met in a pub. Julia and Mike were very thoughtful. They left early so Peter and I could spend some “quality” time together. The problem is…. How can I describe Peter?  There are only two words------ boring and ugly.

       I told him: “Why don’t you go home first!”

     “Oh~no, I promised Julia that I’ll see you home.”

       “But, but… I have friends over there and I would like to join them.” I said.

     “Really? Where?”

     “I’ll show you.” So I stood up and walked to the back of the dimly lit pub. Eyes searching…. There!!!

       I saw him sitting at a big table alone. He was well dressed and well groomed. His blue eyes sparkled in the dim light. He was a very handsome gentleman. I made eye contact with him. He smiled. So I walked to the table, sat down, grabbed his arm and quickly whispered: “Tell him you’re my friend and you’re going to see me home.” He gave me a big smile and he did.

That’s how we met. I FOUND HIM!

      I learned later that he was an instructor with United Airlines and his specialty was Boeing 757, 767 avionics and autopilot.  He had just finished teaching a class and his students had taken him to the pub. When I saw him, at that very moment, his students had just gone to the bar ordering beer and food.

He was leaving Taipei in two days. It was the beginning of a long friendship that led to marriage. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, isn't it?

      I've always wanted to write down how we met because I know memories do fade, so I took a trip down memory lane. I don’t know what April fool day means to you, but we were married on April first, 2003. Sometimes I wonder if that was an April fool’s trick my husband played on me.