A chance encounter over chicken parma leads to a love story that unfolds over the years, from Melbourne’s St Kilda to Sydney and finally settling in Victoria’s high country.
The Moment I Knew: A Chance Encounter at a Noisy Pub
In the spring of 2004, I was working in sales in Melbourne. An IT guy from our Sydney headquarters had been deployed to set up the internet in our new office. Al had a laid-back vibe and played bass in a band, and I immediately liked what I saw.
I was living a carefree life in St Kilda, drinking, smoking, reading good literature, and writing poetry while dreaming of perfect kisses. Complications with the job meant Al had to stay in town for a few more days than expected. Fatefully, his company credit card wasn’t working, so I offered my couch.
The following nights were filled with jugs of Beck’s at the Doulton bar, Thai food, and talking long into the night about literature. Since Al had a girlfriend back in Sydney, we could just get to know each other without any pressure.
It was on Tuesday, the second night of Al’s stay – chicken parma night at the pub – that yet another conversation about books and poetry led to his spontaneous recitation of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. Despite the ruckus around us, I only had eyes for him at that moment. Al told me he also sometimes wrote poetry, and I knew then he might just be the perfect guy for me.
A Connection Takes Hold
When I asked if I would have somewhere to stay if I came to Sydney, he responded with a confident “Abso-floggin-lutely!” Over the coming months, we kept finding work-related excuses to call and email each other. By Christmas, we’d dropped the professional pretence and were texting and calling each other privately, flirting shamelessly.
I decided to test if our connection was real by asking Al if I would have somewhere to stay if I came to Sydney for the weekend. He responded via text: “Abso-floggin-lutely!” I booked a flight for February, and after a slightly awkward airport pickup, we set off for his sharehouse in Darlinghurst.
We were partway through a tour of the house when we kissed for the first time. I knew immediately my instincts had been true.
A Love Story Unfolds
After that weekend, we never really looked back. A year to the day after our first kiss, Al proposed, and exactly a year later, we married. True to the poetic spirit that had so endeared him to me, Al surprised me at our wedding by dropping down on one knee and serenading me with Jon English’s song Six Ribbons.
In February it will be 18 years since that day. We now live with our two children in the high country of Victoria and still read poetry together – though less so at the pub.
