I love opening a new romance novel and seeing how the hero
and heroine meet for the first time. It can be sweet—hero and heroine see each
other across a crowded ballroom and the world stops spinning for one shining
moment. It can be surprising—hero sees neighbor or friend’s sister he hasn’t
seen in a long time only to realize she’s grown from a gangly mischievous girl
into a beautiful, desirable woman. It can be emotional—hero rides in on his
charger (or in his Lamborghini) and saves the business or ranch or whatever the
heroine fears losing in the nick of time (after, of course, he originally
wanted to take it away from her). It can be fraught with danger—in my novel, A
Good Man for Katie, Chase Hunter rescues Katie from certain death in a
runaway stagecoach. Or humorous. Cases of mistaken identity abound as does
being in the wrong place at the wrong time (though, it’s really the right place
at the right time).
There are countless ways our hero
and heroine meet, but no matter how, we know, in our hearts, that only good
will come of it. There will be that happily ever after we all crave (getting there, however,
is a whole other story! And don’t we just love it!). Life very seldom imitates romance novels. People don’t usually meet like our heroes and heroines. Couples meet at work or through family. Maybe he's the mechanic who services your car. Or you met at a coffee shop (and he didn't get upset when you spilled coffee on him!). There are dating sites like eHarmony.com and Match.com (I’ve known a few couples who married after meeting on these sites), professional matchmakers and helpful (mostly) friends, but sometimes, lightening does strike and you do find the person of your dreams in the most unusual way.
Me? How did I meet my DH? Well, it wasn’t a case of mistaken identity, I can tell you that. And it definitely wasn't sweet or surprising. Actually, it was embarrassing. I called the man who was to be my future husband and told him that his first payment on his stereo was late (he had financed it where I worked). Imagine my mortification when I had to call him back and let him know I had been mistaken! Needless to say, he was not very happy with me, BUT he started coming into the office every month and paying in person until the stereo was paid off. And he kept coming in...to bring me flowers or take me to lunch. One thing led to another and…..well….we’ll be married 35 years in January.
So, what’s your favorite way for a hero and heroine to meet? And how did you meet your real life hero?
As always, happy reading!
Marie
I don't have a particular method for characters meeting that I prefer but I love when the circumstances lead to them disliking one another at first. I have always been a big fan of Shakespeare so couples that exchange insults and banter like Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing or Katerine and Petruchio from Taming of the Shrew are always my favorites, with comic mix ups like in A Midsummer's Night Dream being a close second.
ReplyDeleteAs for how I met my husband...
My sophomore year of high school I had a friend whose boyfriend had a friend that needed a date for his senior prom. The guy had never gone to a school dance and he wanted to have a date for prom. I agreed so they passed on my number and the guy called me and asked me to go. Prom night, we meet up with a group of people to go eat before the dance. Another friend of mine was in the group and her date was this skinny dude that I thought was kinda cute despite the goofy haircut he had (learned later the hair was the result of a dare). Anyway, I actually ended up dancing more with him than my own date! And I kinda fell asleep on his shoulder on the ride home that night (my friends saved me from my date when things didn't go so well). But I didn't see the guy again until almost a year later.
One of my best friends and I decided to go to a local bar and grill one night to play pool and occupying one of the tables is my friends now ex-bf and the guy who went with my other friend. We ended up joining them. They mentioned they had beer stashed in the parking lot--yes we were all underage which was why they had it outside--and I asked for one. He says, "Sure, if you give me your phone number." I traded him my number for the beer. He called me later that night and every night the next week, then he asked me out. We went on a date the next Friday night, Saturday we decided to be a couple, and we've been together ever since.
We've been together over 18 years now, married for 14 and we have 4 kids; we've made it through college, military service (including deployment), job changes, and more. Yes we were young when we met but we've made it work. We've grown up together (and we're still growing up) and I look forward to growing old with him at my side.
Thank you, Amanda, what a lovely "How we met" story! There's a lot to be said for "growing up" together. Congrats on 14 years married and may you have many, many more years!
ReplyDeleteMarie