How I met my husband :)

Sometime in the mid 1990's we were living in Guatemala. My brother and I went there with our parents when I was 17 years old to live and work as missionaries. Our family founded a home for orphans and street children.

The first few years we lived there it seemed like most of our time was spent learning and perfecting our Spanish. After a while we could converse as easily in Spanish as we could in our native English. Sometimes we would go weeks at a time while only speaking Spanish, even with each other. My brother and I made friends with many Guatemalans during our time there. All of our friends only spoke Spanish so it was easy to get fluent in the language. We were invited into people's homes and to take part in their family celebrations. We began to feel like we really belonged.

One evening Erick (my brother) took me out to dance. I loved dancing! Still do! So anyway, he took me to this little place called Balcon del Cielo (Balcony of Heaven) and we danced for a while with some friends of ours. After a bit he took me over to get something to drink. Seated at one of the tables near the bar was a guy... Not just any guy... a really, really good looking guy!  The following conversation started in Spanish; translated here into English for the benefit of readers who might not understand :-)

"Hey Rachel" said my brother "Come over here, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Rodrigo this is my sister Rachel, Rachel this is a buddy of mine, Rodrigo"

Me, being all calm cool and collected, "Oh, OK. Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Rachel." We greeted each other, exchanged names, kissed*. And I tried to maintain the calm, cool, collected appearance while I fled to the safety of the bar to interrogate my brother about Mr. Tall.Dark and Oh.So.Handsome!!

*kissed! Yes, kissing! Hispanic countries have a lovely custom of kissing on the cheek as a very right and proper way of greeting even among strangers meeting for the first time. Men and women kiss cheeks and women kiss other women's cheeks as a form of greeting... men don't kiss men, they shake hands.

Once I was standing at the bar a few feet away from Rodrigo and I could talk to my brother without having to include our new "friend" I switched the conversation rapidly to English! "Why on earth have you never introduced me to him before?!?" I demanded of my poor confused brother! "That has got to be the best looking guy I have ever laid eyes on! OhMyGosh! He can't be from around here I've never seen him before, he is gorgeous!" I went on and on for about five more minutes in this same line... How good looking he was, who was he, how long had my brother known him, how good looking he was... you get the idea, it was pretty bad! But, at least, I was speaking in English so that way no one but my dear sweet brother would understand me! I was so distracted sneaking glances at "the guy" and talking about him a hundred miles an hour that at first I don't notice my brother going quietly to pieces, laughing at me! Finally I noticed that he was laughing and I demanded to know what was so funny!

In reply, Erick my darling brother, turned to Rodrigo and said {In ENGLISH!!!!} "Would you please tell this poor girl that you can understand every word she is saying!"

And Rodrigo replied{In ENGLISH!!!!} with a totally mischievous grin on his face "I guess so, but I was really enjoying listening to her..."

And that is how I met my husband. We've been pretty much inseparable since those first humiliating 5  minutes. :-) I even forgave my darling brother...eventually! {wink}

Happy Anniversary Mi Amor! I love you!