Storybook Love Stories
Submit your story today to webmaster@keenesentinel.com

"Love knows no language - Aqui is mi cuento"

I have always heard the phrases "love is blind" and "love knows no language" but never put any thought into them.  To me, they were mere phrases used in mushy love poems and desperate love songs.  I never thought that I would ever use either of these phrases to describe my love, life, and family.  In fact, I would still be protesting the use of these phrases in my presence,  if I had not discovered one big gigantic reality: Love knows no language.   You see, I met the love of my life in a very interesting and unusual fashion.  In such a fashion most people believe my story is either abnormal, bizarre and crazy, or extraordinary, remarkable, and charming. Aqui is mi cuento (here is my story):

  It was two and half years ago when I first saw him.  He worked in a restaurant three doors down from the one I worked at.  It was middle of summer and being inside a kitchen was sweltering, at the least.  I would go outside for breaks and I would see him with his buddies, sitting on the curb escaping the heat when they could.  It started off innocently, as I walked by one day on an errand for my boss.  I simply said hi, and so did he.  After that day, every time he left work for the night, I would see him walking by and he would wave.  A few weeks later I finally got up the courage to go and talk to him.  I knew he was Hispanic, but I did not know anything else.  I quickly learned that he knew very little English (if any at all) and all he could tell me was his name and where he was from.  I was so shy and embarrassed to try to use the little Spanish I knew that I just said "bye" and walked away. 

    I could not stop thinking about him, and I really wanted to try to speak to him.  I had always wanted to learn another language, but in 5th grade I struggled very hard during our French lessons that I refused to take foreign languages in school.  I did know some Spanish, from various people and places, and decided that night that I would try to talk to him a little the next day.  When I saw him outside, I got up the nerve to actually try to talk to him.  I could not speak Spanish in sentences, but did know a good amount of words and a couple of phrases, but I was surprised how much we could communicate with such a small amount of words!  We started talking like this everyday.  Everyday I could not wait for my encounter with him. 

  One day he asked me to teach him English  We wound up spending two hours teaching each other English and Spanish words.  We had a blast.  Then he asked me for my phone number and I gave it to him.  He called me often.  The phone conversations were difficult, but I loved them nonetheless.  How our love evolved from this, I am not too sure.  I just know that we spent everyday together, and just a few very short months later, he told me he was moving to Boston.  My heart broke in a way I have never experienced before.  I did not feel like it was him leaving, but I felt like half of me was leaving, too.  He promised he would call me every night and come back to visit.  He did call, and we took turns traveling every weekend to see each other and all the while, I was surprised how much my Spanish came along. 

   He lasted 7 months in Boston.  He moved back to Keene, and a few months later asked me to marry him.  We got married July 4th, 2004.  We welcomed our beautiful daughter, Kiera, to our multicultural world on March 24th, 2005.  I have achieved much more than I would have thought.  I have learned more Spanish than I could have ever imagined (although I don't consider myself fluent, I can certainly hold my own in a conversation)!  The English in our new family has been the struggle, however my husband has gained a larger English vocabulary since we first met.  But one thing is for certain, if you walk into our household, you will see the two most used languages are Spanish and love. 

Jessica, Keene