Friday, May 18, 2007

It seems like just yesterday...

I was a computer maintenance technician - the old mainframe - and exactly 35 years ago today I went to Fortaleza to fix a CPU (today a CPU is a chip, but at that time it was a "closet" weighing hundreds of pounds) at the company's branch office.
When I arrived there I was introduced to the people that worked at the office, and I noticed that one girl was looking at me intensely.
That afternoon she sent me a note asking if I was in need of anything: coffee, water...

Only much later I learned that she had already told a friend that she was going to marry me...
The next day, after finishing the job, we had dinner together, and that became our first date.
I returned to São Paulo the next morning and we continued our romance by the company's internal mail, since the Internet wasn't even in the dreams of futurologists then...
In July I returned to Fortaleza on vacation, and we became engaged. In September, another few days there to fix another problem on the same computer. And in December she came to São Paulo, when we married without anyone in the family knowing.
It's been 35 years, 4 sons, one grandson, many joys, some fight, but above all much union, much understanding, much companionship and much love. Everything I had in life I owe to this outstanding woman, a fighter, stubborn, insistent, relentless at work, who loves parties like no one.
I don't know what she saw in me that day, but I know I was very lucky...

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Woooww Gerarldo....what a lovely story, what a lovely life...!! you still have that note with you...i am touched...you both look just made for each other...thanks for sharing this n i wish you the best forever...its true, love is everything..love is life!
(I just got up n read your blog...n now, i am in a cheerful mood today )

MaR said...

Happy Anniversary!!! I commented after you in Naomi's blog and was curious about a Brazilian blogger... Loved your love story! I am Chilean and my cousin went to Rio to work for one company. He met a charming young woman who also told her friends the minute she saw my cousin that she was going to marry him...Some years later and two kids later they are still happily married and hopefully for many, many years. Just like you! It seems the Brazilian women are very special *wink*
I am sure you had a wonderful anniversary!

MaR said...

I have to correct myself: it was Judy/kenju's blog!

Geraldo said...

a-xpressions,
Yes, I saved the note, and on the opposite side I had written her address and phone at the time... ;-)

Mar, is your cousin's wife a Scorpio, by any chance? :-)

Thank you both for your comments and wishes!

Lori said...

That is so sweet! What a lovely post. Happy Anniversary to you and your wife!!

ToOothlEss WOndeR! said...

Wow Geraldo, tht's some story.
And it's my first time here. It's so heartwarming to see some pictures taken on some good old film cameras.
How do you preserve all those prints like that?
Great work! I'm hooked. :)
-Bal.

Anonymous said...

Geraldo,

Thanks for your visit to my blog. I appreciate your comments.

Congratulations on your anniversary. What an accomplishment! I have only made 25 so far!

Mike

Kerri said...

I love to hear stories of how romances began. Yours is a good one :) You have a very determined woman there by the sound of things :) Love the pictures!
A very happy anniversary to you and your lovely wife!

Anonymous said...

I was showing our first granddaughter a picture of a flambouyant tree (symbol of my wife's and my marriage and work in St Thomas US Virgin Islands 1973) and stumbled across your story. That is exactly how it happened with us! And we are here in Sep 2007, granddaughter #2's birth. Your story of your lives made us smile with the memories. Eerie. And a glad thing. I'm sure you will remain with one another forever.