Allison: Hello everyone. Welcome to today's talk show on “How I Met My Husband.” Today's guest is Liz, one of our brilliant English tutors here at LingQ.com, simply the best way to learn languages. So, Liz, welcome to the show.
Liz: Well, thanks for having me. It's great to be here. Allison: Well, we're glad that you could make a special appearance here on our show. So, tell me Liz, how long have you been married now?
Liz: Let's see, Mike and I have actually been together for about 14 years now. Allison: Wow. Time sure does fly, doesn't it? That's fabulous. So, let's cut to the chase. How did you meet your husband? Was it love at first sight, an arranged marriage, a blind date? Please share your story with our audience and don't leave out any details. Liz: Well, I guess it's time to give it a shake and spill the beans here. Mike and I got together in 1998 and we were married in 2004. I embarrass myself trying to remember our first encounter. It wasn't some enchanted evening or anything. I'm afraid I'm not that much of a romantic anyways. Mike is a friend of a friend who has, I guess, always traveled in the same circles as me. I think our first conversations came about because he had a truck and my friend volunteered him to help us move props. Yeah. It was that he had volunteered him to help move some props when I was working for a theater company.
Actually, though, that's his side of the story. My mind's a sieve and I plead innocent on the fact that he had a beard at the time and he was my friend's ex and I wasn't looking. We saw each other a few times at potlucks and parties and finally invited me to go to a coffee house with him and I was late. This isn't sounding so good. He has the more romantic take on it, I think. The poor guy fell for a total skeptic.
But I guess, for me, Mike's always just been around. He and a good friend were roomies back in the ‘80s and he dated another friend, so he knows all the same folks. It was kind of a safe harbor and I was feeling like a rolling stone. Whoops, I guess I'm mixing metaphors there. I was really kind of lost without an anchor, maybe.
But I guess he fit the bill. He was a constant, reliable, sweet, gentle, outdoorsy, lefty from back home and the wrong side of the track. Really, no wonder it felt right. At least it felt safe, anyways. But meeting your significant other is just scary business. Sometimes I really envy those arranged marriages.
So, that was tough. Here's your turn, Allison, tell me your tale. I love asking this question, it always tells me a lot about people; although I imagine it would cross the line in some places.
Allison: Well, it's funny, really. I wasn't looking, but everyone else around me was. They kept trying to set me up, saying things to perspective guys like, “Hey, what kind of car do you drive?” Or, “What's your net worth?” I would just give my friends that I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that look and walk away. Then they would say things to me like, “Well, what do you think about him?” Or, “How about him?” I would just laugh and say, “No, this isn't how it's done. When the time comes I'll know.” It was just like those stories you read about. I wasn't supposed to be there that night, but I was. Dennis was walking from across a crowded room. When I saw him I secretly thought to myself now that's the kind of guy I could marry. I didn't dare tell anyone, though. Then, before I could bat an eye, there he was standing straight in front of me and at first all I could say was, “Hello.” We hit it off right away, though, as if we'd known each other our whole lives. My friends just kept looking over smiling, whispering to each other and giggling. “He hasn't taken his eyes off of her the whole night,” they would say. I just ignored them. It was like time stood still and nothing else in the world mattered.
Liz: Okay.
Allison: While we were talking we somehow got on the subject of electronics. He was telling me that he needed a mini keyboard for his palm pilot. Hum, I used to work at a company that sold computer electronics, so I happily offered to get him a discount on the keyboard. Little did I know, though, that there was a catch.
My friend, who was still working there, agreed to get me a discounted keyboard for Dennis if I agreed to have dinner with him first. Could this situation get any more complicated? Well, I did it and Dennis called me the next day to thank me. He had heard about what had happened and offered to take me to dinner to make up for it.
Liz: So, let's see if I understand you correctly. You went on a date with another guy so you could get a discount on a keyboard for Dennis, the guy you liked, who ended up being your husband?
Allison: Yes, that's right and to make a long story short, the rest is history. We've been happily married six years now with two adorable boys. Next year will be our seven year itch.
Liz: Oh.
Allison: Let's share a secret with our audience, though. The secret to finding the right husband is to not be looking. Like my mother always said, “If you chase two rabbits you'll never catch one.” Liz, it's been a pleasure having you on our show today and I look forward to our next talk soon. Thanks again.
Liz: Ah, thank you.
