Marti and Abiye

Love at First Sight

Fresh from college, Marti got a job as the assistant to the CEO of Jackson Corporation, a small East Coast hotel chain. Her office is at the Columbia hotel near Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.

Marti always enjoys lunch in the onsite diner with hotel staff. Today was no different. Bonus, it was Taco Tuesday, her favorite lunch. Marti is trying to decide between chicken or shrimp tacos as she walked through the front doors of the diner when she spotted him. He was breathtaking with his large infectious smile and bright twinkling eyes. Butterflies were jumping all inside Marti. “I hope he’s available” was all Marti could think about. “Luckily, he will be easy to meet. He’s the new server.”

“Marti, come sit with me. Marti, I’m right here.” It was Meleak, the first friend Marti had made in the Columbia Hotel. Blake was fun and always made her laugh. He even got Marti to eat anchovies on pizza.

Marti walked over to Meleak’s table. As she was sitting down Blake asked, “Where were you? I called your name five times.”

“I am sorry, Meleak. It’s the new server. Have you met him yet? I think I’m in love.”

Meleak laughed. “Abiye? He’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since primary school back home.”

“Abiye, izīhi yimit’u.” Amharic for come here, Meleak called. When Abiye reached the table, Meleak introduced Marti and Abiye. Both their faces lit up when they looked at each other. Meleak leaned back in his chair as he watched the fireworks between Marti and his best friend. 

Stop the Story

It’s time for the background. We are in the early 1980s. Meleak and Abiye are Black Ethiopians from Addis Ababa. Marti is White from the DC suburbs. We may have innocently thought things had changed for Persons of Color, but interracial relationships, made legal in 1967, were not accepted yet.

70% of DC’s population was black. We were past the 1968 riots. Businesses were rebuilt, and the city was thriving. Blacks are represented in movies, television shows, politics, and more. This was the time of Eddy Murphy on Saturday Night Live, Bill Cosby selling Jello as his popularity soared because of his Fat Albert. Don’t forget Sammy Davis Jr. It was before The Oprah Winfrey Show started. President Ronald Reagan created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the Civil Rights Commission. We felt like Martin Luther King Jr’s dream was coming true, at least on the East Coast. We learned in 2020 how naïve we were then and still are today.

According to The Christian Science Monitor in 2010* regarding interracial marriages: “It’s very much a generational phenomenon. While 80 to 90 percent of people under age 30 say they find interracial marriages acceptable, that number falls to about 30 percent for those over 65. People 65 and over grew up in the ’30, ’40s, and ’50s when such things weren’t acceptable or were illegal. That’s an indicator of how things have changed.”

We used landlines phones. Answering machines and cell phones were the future. Cell phones became popular in the 1990s. Back to the story.

Fast Forward Two Years

Abiye and Marti were inseparable. They rarely spent a night apart. Abiye is now the manager of both restaurants in the Columbia Hotel, and Marti is an Assistant Manager at the upscale restaurant in a new Jackson Corporation hotel. Marti knew Abiye’s entire family who lived in the area. They welcomed and treated her as family.

Then the boulder dropped, Abiye and Marti broke up. Marti began to date Bobby, the Executive Chef at her restaurant. Both having broken hearts after failed relationships, they were each other’s rebound. Felt like the entire staff wanted them to get together. They would make up reasons for Marti to go into the kitchen to talk with Chef Bobbie.

A month after the breakup, on a Friday afternoon, Marti answers the phone at work. “Hi Marti.” She recognized the voice. “Hi Abiye. How are you?”

They talked for a few minutes and Marti learned the reason for the call. “I haven’t been able to see my mom. Any chance I may borrow your car for a few hours? I will return it before your shift ends. Then maybe we can go for a drink.” Marti said yes and asked him to come over for the car when his shift ended. She had never stopped loving Abiye and knew she never would.

As soon as Marti hung up the phone, she remembered with panicked fear, “I have a date with Bobby tonight. What should I do, I can’t have Abiye return the car tonight.”

A short time later, she gave Abiye the car keys and asked him to keep the car for the night. “Have fun with the car tonight and call in the morning before you come over.” Abiye looked confused as he took the keys and got into the car.

The next morning, Marti waited for Abiye’s call. And waited. And waited. No call.

At two in the afternoon, she called his home. No answer. Marti tried again, and again. Finally, at 4pm she called Abiye’s mom who lived with Abiye’s three older sisters, his brother, and his nephew. His sister Kayla answered. “Finally, you called. Abiye’s driving us crazy. All day he’s been moping around all day. One minute he says he needs to call you and picks up the phone. Then he hangs up before pushing a button, saying he knows you had a date last night. Get in a cab and come here.”

“I live too far away. The cab will cost over a hundred dollars ($275 in 2021).”

“I’ll pay for it. Be here before dinner.” and Kayla hung up the phone.

Marti called for a cab.

Later

After dinner, Abiye drove Marti to the Waterfront and their favorite spot where they talked about the future and their dreams. Then he drove them both home.

*https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/0604/Interracial-marriage-more-than-double-the-rate-in-the-1980s