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In 2006, I met a couple in their 30s whose love story became my favorite: a childhood romance that has stood the test of time.
Husband Rizwan takes great pride in telling the story of how he and Shayla met. Both sets of parents served in the armed forces. Both the youth often changed schools.
They studied in the same school in class 8. On the first day of that school year, he says, He looked at Shayla and knew that this was the girl he wanted to marry.
He adds laughingly, it was not easy. She was 13 years old, serious and studious. But she started liking him; He had hope. Eventually, it turned into love. Two years later, tragedy struck: both families moved to different cities.
Love letters and occasional phone calls helped keep their romance alive. Even when college took them to different continents, Rizwan’s resolve to marry Shayla remained intact. Shayla, on the other hand, was intent on building a career and marriage was not on her mind.
He was in no hurry. He supported her when she became a finance executive in Mumbai. After four years, she felt she was ready enough to get married. When I met them, they had been married for 18 years, had three children, and seemed very content in their happy, fun-filled home.
Two weeks ago another similar story came to my notice. Tina and Varun met in class 6. Like Rizwan and Shayla, their early romance lasted long distance. By the time he was in college, at least he had email and video calls for help. Now in his mid-30s, he has been married for nine years and is raising a daughter.
I asked them who took the lead in keeping their romance alive, and they agreed it was Tina. Varun says that she is a true romantic woman, yet she gives him the most incredible gifts. Last year, for their anniversary, they made a short film using clips from their vacation, and convinced a cinema hall to play it during intermission as a surprise.
Tina and Varun have been together for 24 years. He’s had a serious meltdown (they both nod when he says this). One of his toughest periods was when he changed jobs at the same time. The second happened when Varun lost his father and his mother moved in with him permanently.
What keeps them happy? Their love for each other and their certainty of each other’s loyalty, “and friendship”, says Tina.
This helps them to communicate effectively. She adds, “We are each other’s family and family comes first.”
It’s reassuring to hear that even childhood sweethearts have to work at it to keep their relationship healthy. But if ever a fairy tale came true, for me it is stories like these. Don’t you love it when childhood romance continues?
(Simran Mangharam is a dating and relationship coach and can be contacted at simran@floh.in)
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