Jules Joffrin

I received the text,

I am here :)

******

It was a beautiful summer morning in Paris. I was feeling quite cheerful and exuberant which was unusual. That morning when I got out of the house to proceed towards my metro station, my iPod was playing some very peppy songs unlike the usual psychedelic ones. I was singing and my walk had a dance to it. I might have been hopping.

This is the Google street view of the slope, I was walking down towards the station, like a bunny rabbit.

I was to meet him today at my station, Jules Joffrin. As I was climbing down the stairs of the platform, I received the text,

I am here :)

I froze. I stopped on the second last stair and checked the message again. My heart started pumping fast. The butterflies were running marathons in my belly. There was an instant warmness in my chest. I suddenly felt like the student of 'WTF was I thinking' university!
What am I doing?
Why am I meeting a stranger?
What if he and his friends were playing some prank on me?
What if he finds me not appeasing enough?
What if I come on TV on an annoying prank show?
What language should I talk in? (in my defense, there were four languages in question)
I should go back, I am crazy.

I turned a little and had a deep-rooted craving of returning to my room, get back in to my PJs and have a hot cup of coffee by my window, rather than dealing with this huge package of anxiety and nervousness.
On second thought, I didn't want to run away from something good this time. I wanted to face it. I turned towards the platform, took the last stair and walked in.

Jules Joffrin

I looked on the right. There were not much people who might have been waiting for me. I looked to the left, and there he was...
Tall, handsome, in a perfect French formal attire, with a laptop bag in his hand. He walked towards me and said,
"Hi"
"I am sorry I am late." I said.
"That's okay. Can we first decide what language should we talk in?" (!!!!!!!!), he said and smiled.

Our metro came, we entered and in just about ten seconds we forgot we were meeting for the first time.

I married that man exactly six months later.

That beautiful day was two and a half years ago. Do the math.

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary Mon Cheri.

I often wonder what would've happened if I had turned away and went back home. I am sure each day of my life would have ended with less laughter, less smiles, less love and less contentment.

You say it was love at first sight. For me, it was my life at first sight. It was my DESTINY.

I love you