October 30, 2012

M & E: A Love Story

Last night at about 9pm I realised I was out of milk. This is not uncommon for me, given that a) we get through litres of milk a day, and b) I have twenty billion things in my head at any one time and would forget my nose if it wasn't directly attached to my face.

I sighed heavily and trudged out of the house to the shops. I was extremely tired and a little cranky, as a) it had been a long day, b) two out of three kids were still awake, and c) I had tons to do before bed. All I wanted to do was get to the corner store, get my milk, and get home.


I pulled up outside the store and saw that the light was off. The owner's son, M, was closing up. My heart sank. In desperation, I called out "M! Stop! Can I please just have some milk?"

"Sure thing, mate," he said cheerily, and ducked into the store to fetch the milk. "Pay me next time."

M is a big, bald Greek boy who loves a beer and the footy. And, as he approached the car, I noticed that he was glowing like a pregnant angel.

"I got married yesterday!" he cried, pushing his face into my window, his face nearly split in half with the most magnificent smile I'd ever seen.

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed. "I didn't realise it was yesterday! Congratulations!"

"It was the best night ever," he told me, beaming. He was ecstatically happy, literally shining with joy. I couldn't help but smile with him.

"Is E around?" I asked. E is M's new wife. She is a big, beautiful Jewish girl, who I thought to be M's sister for years because they look so similar.

"She's over there!" M said, pointing down the road. He called her over and E bounded up to my car. She, too, radiated happiness. M wrapped his arms around her and kissed her affectionately on the cheek. Their love was so infectious I felt high. I wished I had been at their wedding.

"M sobbed the whole way through the ceremony," E told me, rolling her eyes. It made me laugh.

M and E have been together for ten years. TEN. They seem as madly in love as they did in those very first years. Now, as a writer, I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about the challenges of relationships, and M and E do not negate those. I am sure they have had their rough times, too. But they did remind me, just for a few moments, of the pure joy of true love. It is there and it is heart-soaringly magnificent, and it can be found in a suburban store in Sydney.

And I am grateful for having a glimpse into it last night. M and E, if you read this, congratulations again.

And THANK YOU.


29 comments:

  1. Love is the best x

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  2. Would that we all could experience this kind of love in our lifetime.

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  3. First off...how wonderful that you still have a "corner store" just down around the corner! There's nothing quite like a corner store!

    And particularly a corner store run by a Greek family. They really have the running of corner stores down pat!


    I used to have one pretty close to where I lived years ago when I lived in Brisbane. And old Mr. Conias could speak very little English, but greet him with a cheery "Hello, Mr. Conias!" and his face would break apart in a wide smile that lit up not only the store, but all those in it. How could one not feel happy seeing his face on a hung-over-prone Saturday morning?

    Saturday mornings were great when visiting his store...because he'd always arrived early loaded with freshly-picked vegetables from their property; vegetables still dripping with soil and the morning dew. And Mr. C unfailingly insisted that his daughter drive me home, even though I lived just around the corner from his corner store.


    Proof positive a smile and a friendly greeting are so worthwhile.


    The couple you describe above are the salt of the earth. And I believe we should all get to know and value people like that.

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  4. What a lovely post! I wrote about popping out for milk a few days ago too - my experience wasn't quite as joyful x

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  5. These people are exactly the same. And they give you something Coles and Woollies just cannot give. A sense of connection. x

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  6. Aw bless! My hubby and I were together for 10 years before we got married and YES, we faced a LOT of challenges in that time. But on the day we got married ... I'd like to think we were just as eye-poppingly in love as your M and E. I love stories like this!

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  7. Lisa @ Bithe MomentsOctober 30, 2012 at 12:17 PM

    Awww I'm beaming just reading that. How lovely.

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  8. Here you go x

    http://www.cupofteaandablog.com/2012/10/oh-that-poor-man.html

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  9. Naww. My brother got married to a greek orthodox chic on saturday. It was an awesome wedding with some dramas on my side of the bloody family which I had to write about on my blog lol. They were both gleaming on the day and they are now in thailand on their honeymoon.

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  10. Beautiful. There is hope x

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  11. That's divine. I think I was just worried it was going to rain!

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  12. OH yes. Wedding dramas. I must go read!

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  13. That is so lovely! Good on them.

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  14. Dropped into the Sheaf last Thursday to use the toilet on the way to Woolies while kids were at cricket training (as you do) and bumped into M having last drinks with "the boys" before the wedding - and u r right - he was absolutely beaming ! xxxx

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  15. For me it's the fact that they had their best night ever and went back to work the next day. That's true love, right there. No mucking around. x

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  16. What a great story - gotta love love that lasts like that ! We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and sometimes I have to ask myself where the years have gone to because it really doesn't seem that long ago that we were walking down the aisle (or swining in the case of A who broke his leg 2 weeks before we got married and was in a plaster cast from his groin to his toes !!!)
    Have the best day !
    Me

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  17. That IS a great story, types me, grinning like a deranged person.


    You know what I love? Seeing old marrieds walking along hand in hand. Seriously - slays me.

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  18. That is beautiful! True love still does exist, sometimes where you least expect to see it

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  19. Plaster cast??? To his GROIN?? Romantic...

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  20. LOL. Yep. And I got my milk and everything.

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