We met on Mother’s Day, May 11th, 2008. She was outside at Chase Suites in Baltimore, Maryland at 2 in the morning unwinding from a long day at work. I appeared, coming from the hotel lobby, and approached her to say hello. I was staying in the apartment across the way from her. We spoke for several hours that early morning, getting to know one another, and our relationship grew from there. I was in Baltimore from Chennai, India and she was in Baltimore from Dallas Texas; we both describe it today as fate.
We spent the next week getting to know one another and had learned that we had many things in common. When it came time for her to leave Baltimore, I went to the airport with her to make sure she made it safely on the plane. We knew it was not the last time we would see one another.
For the next 15 months, and still to this day, we spend almost every day on the computer instant messaging one another or talking on the phone. During this time, we were able to build a strong friendship and learned so much more about one another. Being so far away with no contact, we had to be honest with one another via the computer and phone, learning to support one another and grow together from just our words and emotions. This is where the foundation of our relationship started.
In September of 2009, she took a chance. We had often talked of her traveling to India to see my culture and lifestyle, and finally she did. She jumped on a plane, traveled halfway across the world to see me…and she was not disappointed. I took her to my village, where she was able to meet my mother and family, introduced her to my friends, took her to the temples in India, and even to the capital, New Delhi.
I had also planned a trip to take her to one of the 7 wonders of the world...the Taj Mahal. This is where our relationship moved to the next level. While at the Taj Mahal, I presented her with a Ruby and Gold ring, expressed my love to her, and asked for her to be my future wife. She immediately accepted, and since this day, the 5th of September 2009, we have been engaged.
After her leaving India, I was able to come back to the US months later in July of 2010. We spent another week together, and this time, it was time for me to meet her family and friends. They accepted me immediately, knew I enriched her life, and that she was happiest when we were together.
After my return to India that year, we constantly communicated, each day our relationship becoming deeper. In January of 2011, she returned to India for a few weeks to see me again. Once again, we went to his village to spend time with family and friends, took a tour of Kerala (which included the Tea Gardens, elephant rides, and a beach trip) and returned back to my home in Chennai.
I came back to the US for 2 months at the mid of 2011, we traveled back and forth and we were able to spend several long weekends together. I returned again for 5 months in 2012, and once again we were fortunate to spend time together, including birthdays and holidays. I returned again in 2013, and we spend a great deal of time together. The last 6 months I was here, we enjoyed rafting down the river in Oklahoma, a trip to Dallas to see her family, and a trip to her grandparents’ lake house where I was able to meet her grandmother before she passed.
July 14th of 2013 was the last day I have been in the US. She went to Oklahoma to make sure I made it safely on the plane, just as I did for her 6 years ago. We have not seen one another since, but each day we continue to talk and enrich our relationship that has grown over the past 7 years. Somewhere along the way we fell in love and now, it is time for us to be as one and start our lives together.
