Storms rock. There's the sunshine afterward to look forward to.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
An Amazing Love Story
He met her during a party.
She was so outstanding, with many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal, that nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but for purposes of being polite, she accepted.
They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything, so much so that she felt uncomfortable.
She thought, "Please, let me go home..."
Suddenly, he asked the waiter. "Would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."
Everybody stared at him, he was so strange! His face turned red, but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, "Why do you have this liking?"
He replied: ''When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, and I liked playing in it. I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of salty coffee. Now, every time I have salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown. I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there.'' While saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched, and she could tell, this was his honest feelings, from the bottom of his heart. This was a man who was not ashamed to reveal his homesickness. He was a man who loved home, cared about home, and felt responsible for home. Then she also started to speak, she spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family.
That was a really nice conversation, and also the beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date. She found that he was a man who met all her needs. He had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, and careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him, but didn't, thanks to his salty coffee! Like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, and then they lived happily ever after. And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that was the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away, and left her a letter which said:
''My dearest, please forgive me for my lie. This was the only lie I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. Actually, I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was even more embarrassing for me to correct myself, so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I promised not to lie to you for anything, and I was scared of what you would think once I told you."
"Now I'm dying, and I'm afraid of nothing, so I tell you the truth: I don't like salty coffee. What a strange bad taste. But I have had that salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never felt sorry for anything I did for you.. Having you with me was my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I could live a second time, I would still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even if I had to drink the salty coffee again. After all, it was the salty coffee that brought us together."
Her tears made the letter totally wet. One day, someone asked her, "What's the taste of salty coffee?"
"It's sweet," she replied.
Love is not to forget but to forgive.
Not to see but to understand.
Not to hear but to listen.
Not to let go but to hold on!
