Chapter V: Meeting my wife

"...when you can see the unborn children in her eyes, you know you really love a woman..."

This is just part of the lyrics of a song from Brian Adams, but so true of how I felt after I met my now wife: Carolina.

As part of this journey that lead to our wedding day, I can't skip how I met her. Some people would have met their love of their lives with help of some friends, by sharing same life styles (college, work, gym), others by just pure coincidence in a bar, party or now a days via websites. How I met Carolina was a combination of all of these and I like to believe "destiny" also had a big role. Part of this story has both mine and my wife's version of how we met. When I finally heard her version, is when it made me think that some things in life are just meant to be.

It was a nice summer day, a few days after my birthday, when I was giving a squash lesson at the gym I used to work. It was a great way of making some money while I was at University and still do what I enjoyed the most: play squash.

After I finished the lesson, a really beautiful and young girl was waiting outside the squash court. Her skin was white and seemed so smooth. She had her black hair hidden in a pony tail while showing her glamorous, most beautiful and angelical face in a perfect body. As soon I stepped out, she asked me if I knew the squash instructor of the gym. I looked at her and thought "This is my lucky day. Very few times I have the change of teaching squash to someone that hot !"

When I told her that I was the instructor, she smiled and asked again to please tell her who was the squash pro. She couldn't believe it was me. She was expecting and older person, more "professional" and not a 24 year old skinny kid (yes... I was very skinny). After she finally realized I was actually the squash pro, right away I asked her when she wanted to start. I even asked her to jump in court as I had no one else lined up.

One of the biggest mistakes in life is to "assume". For me it was very clear: young woman, working out in the gym, looking for a squash instructor... it was a no brainer that she was looking to learn how to play squash. However, her answer made me realize again the big mistake of assuming. She smiled again. It happens that she recently had a new manager at work, someone that came from another country and that was interested in a place where he can keep playing and improving his squash game.

Carolina asked me for my contact info so she can give it to her manager, that I should expect a call from him anytime in the next couple of days. Normally is the other way around, I am the one asking for the contact info. Suddenly I was no longer interested in teaching her squash, I just wanted to go out with her. Quickly I thought of a great excuse to ask for her phone number: " Would you you mind give me your number in case your manager doesn't call. I would then be able to give you a quick follow up call"

At the moment I thought it was a great reason to ask for her phone, but Carolina thought it was actually very lame, but she still gave me her phone number.

A week passed and her manager never called, so I thought it was time to do the "follow up" call and invite her out. We arranged to meet again at the gym. She couldn't reject a free squash lesson. Before we jumped in the court, she mentioned all the aerobics she normally did, to some how give me the hint that she might not even break a sweat playing squash.

We did 30 minutes and I must say she was really fit (I really made her run up and down the court). She afterwards confessed she couldn't take a minute more. After the squash lesson and all according to the plan, I asked her out to go and have a few beers at my favorite place: El Leon (The Lion), and she said "YES"

In Caracas I must say people are some how superficial. It is all about what you have, where did you study, where do you live and what car you drive. They will refer to people by name and if you cant put a face to that person, they will say "you know, the guy with a red Mercedes". By the time I met Carolina, car wise I was screwed. As soon as we went in the parking lot to go out that first night, when she saw my car she asked me: "Sorry to ask, but you are not that type person that kidnaps or mugs people, right?"

By that time, I was driving the "family" car: a blue Ford Maverick from the 80's (or 70's), with the paint all burned by the sun, a couple of bumps around the car and still the original black plastic leather in the seats. The suspension system made all sort of noises, the door when you closed it made a very loud noise and it wasn't in the best conditions inside (a bachelor's car). The car was so loud that after dating Carolina for a couple of weeks, when I was dropping her at her place, she would asked me to drop her one block away from her house, so the car wouldn't wake up her grandmother ! At the same time I was so proud of that car. People would respect me on the streets, giving me always the right of way, even the hitch hikers would stop hitch hiking when the saw me driving by and best of all, if a girl was going out with me, is because they REALLY, REALLY liked me !

After a few weeks from that free squash lesson, it was official: we were dating and it didn't take make to long to introduce her to my parents. Apparently that freaked her out, but it was all good. Those upcoming months were some of my best. Fully in love, doing well at the University and playing some great squash. Truly, it couldn't be better. We dated for almost 18 months and then, as all good things sometimes have to end, we broke up.

Have a great Holidays and HAPPY NEW YEAR !, see you again in 2008