[Jackie07]

A coincidence you just mentioned about first love...

One of my Junior High school buddies (I was a tomboy, so all of them were 'guys') went to the military academy after graduation. I had corresponded with him through high school, but decided I was going to enjoy my college years - thinking that if he really cared, he would take actions. And if it were meant to be, a separation of 4 years would not change anything [I had read too many 'traditional' Chinese romances that emphasize on the 'eternal' relationship - usually a 'platonic' one.]

He did pay me a surprise visit at the open house of my college with a couple of other 'buddies' - which wasn't easy as he was in the Naval Academy at the time. So I played basketball, sang in the choirs, did my volunteer work...Then boom, right before his appointment, we were told that he's going to get married - to a female officer he had met in a joint Forces exercise. Bunch of us Junior High classmates went to the wedding and the old 'Gang of four' actually stayed overnight at his new apartment (a traditional Chinses prank - friends/relatives staying overnight to hold the groom/bride 'hostage'. [Usually just the groom, so the exhausted bride can get a good night sleep]) I did my usual thing - reading Chinese Readers Digest while others playing Mahjong.

He and another 'gang' called me earlier this year after chatting online for a while that night. I was a little bit surprised but was happy to catch up with them. He sent a picture of his family via the Internet. By summer I had received several pictures from another buddy who had also attended the class reunion in spring. 7 of my classmates made posters to wish me well and 'he' was one of them in the 'formation'.

I was so shocked to learn last night that he had been divorced from his wife of more than 28 years not long after our conversation and is now dating a widowed classmate he had met at the Reunion. Knowing both of them well enough to realize how painful it must have been for him to have had a divorce and how difficult it must have been for her to have become a widow at 50, I just felt so sad about what each of them had been through while at the same time so happy for them to have found each other.