Chance Meeting

Fairy tales do exist. Well, the Cinderella type anyway. It was 1992 August, to be exact. The location was a small town in Maine. One of the actors in this play lived there while the other lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Chances of ever meeting were slim, bordering on never. Never is a strange word, and it does not fit in here. Allow the story to continue.

The person in Maine was a karate student, and today was her black belt test. She had been training for over five years, and it all came down to this moment. The other actor in this play was the chief instructor of the school chain.   He lived way down south, and one of his students was the teacher of the young lady that was testing for the rank promotion. The Florida actor was to oversee the testing and share some of his knowledge. He had returned from Japan with stories, tips, and everything you would expect from such a visit.

So arrangements were made, and airline tickets were purchased. Many of the senior students would also be attending as it is an exciting time when someone makes the jump to a black belt. Word was spreading that this was going to be more just a test. Invitations mailed to several local instructors and plans were created to include an entire weekend of events. The occasion was fast becoming the event of the year. 

As the date fast approached, the young lady candidate for promotion devoted a tremendous amount of time to perfecting her technique. As any good student would do, she lived for training. The instructor from Florida was putting together a few lesson plans and some speeches to keep enthusiasm high. He was known for having students sit formally while he spoke for ah hour or two. Meanwhile, the school itself was scrubbed and made ready for the big event. There have been other promotional tests, but none would have the who’s who of the art present. Planning and planning, and all was ready.

The instructor from Florida would be staying at a local hotel, along with other invited visitors. It was like a headquarters of high ranking individuals. Old friends enjoyed catching up, and new friendships formed. So many conversations at the same time filled the air. It was great to catch up as people arrived from different parts of the country.

The Florida instructor did arrive late on Friday and went directly to the hotel. The plans for that evening put on hold, canceled. Disappointment filled the night, but the anticipation of the next day grew. Everyone would get an early start. 

Everyone arrived at the karate school at 9 am. After the usual greetings and lots of bowing, the room was called to order. The Florida instructor was talking with all his senior students and the dignitary guests when the young lady up for promotion walked up the stairs. As she turned to enter the room, the Florida instructor, without missing a beat, blurred out that he was going to marry her. The group around him froze for a moment. A stillness filled the air. They collectively saw that look in his eyes. There was a noticeable silence from the group. The young lady looked over at all the high ranking instructors and asked, “what.” Still no response. Finally, everything resumed as nothing happened. But it did. The Florida instructor knew it immediately, and for some strange reason, the others did as well.

The young lady took the floor to test. The Florida instructor appears to be a bit speechless, something that never happened before. He did not even vote as he watched her flawless performance. He was in awe. The others divided their attention between the young lady testing, and the Florida instructor thunderstruck. She did outstanding, and for the first time, the top instructor, the Florida guy, refrained from voting. He did not want his influence to take away from her testing scores. The scores were high, very high. The prepared speeches did not happen. It was like his mind was out to lunch. The rest of the day was a celebration of success. Taking a black belt test in a traditional karate school is a big deal, a cause for partying. The awarding this rank does not happen that often. 

Throughout the day, a different type of sparring was performed. The young lady also had that look in her eye. Two by chance, over 1,000 miles apart, crossed paths. She knew it, and he knew it. Now, what to do. It was sad when Sunday arrived, as that meant life returned to normal. There could be no normal now. But the time the Florida instructor came back home, he knew what he had to do. The telephone lines between the two were on fire. It was not until October that the Florida instructor was able to return to Maine. It was a six-day vacation. Quickly they both realized this was GU, geographically undesirable. The Florida instructor returned home, and four days later, the young lady moved to Florida. By November 14, they were married. Seventy-five days from first look to husband and wife. We live in a crazy world. Uncertainty is everywhere. But here, amidst the swirling of insanity, a relationship, a gyroscope of calmness exists. The look in their eyes remains the same today as it did a long time ago at that chance meeting.

The years have been great, a split second, a brief look and still, all there years later, love. The adventure never stopped. The family grew, and pets arrived. They even taught martial arts together. This story has been told over and over again. Each time, the enthusiasm remains high. It has become the playbook for a person taking a chance. Everyone knows that anything can happen, but life is not a dress rehearsal. Your life is your one chance. Take that leap. When you know it is right, it is correct. The Florida instructor was 40 years old at the time of the meeting. He was set in his ways. But nothing is ever set in stone, as he found out. A world turned upside down or, in this case, turned perfect. Would he do it all over again that my friend is a non-question.

Yes, fairy tales live, and while there wasn’t everything that was in the Cinderella story, it was just that. A modern-day love story that warms the heart every time it is told.