11.25.2008

Lord of the Rings



In my case, the old adage proved true: Love finds you when you least expect it.

I wasn't looking for my next great love because I mistakenly thought I'd already found it. I had taken up salsa dancing a couple years earlier and fell hard for its sometimes sensuous, always complicated, moves and upbeat tempo. It became my passion and addiction. I spent thousands of dollars on lessons ( a futile attempt to improve) and danced till the wee hours of the morning four nights a week.

On Thursday nights, you could find me at the Red Room, a tapas restaurant every other night of the week, but a Latin hot spot on this night. The thought of actually meeting someone, let alone a non-salsa-obsessed dancer, seemed out of the realm of possibility. I knew everyone who showed up on Thursday nights...

or so I thought.

I was dancing with one of my usual partners when Max walked in the door. Our eyes met, but he continued to his table, where a number of Latinas awaited him. I, on the other hand, continued dancing. Given the setting and his companions, I mistakenly assumed Max was also Latin, perhaps Puerto RIcan or even Cuban.

After a night of fierce dancing, I made my way off the floor to rehydrate. When I got to the bar, I looked down to find a cocktail menu and, instead, noticed a ring on a man's hand. The emblem carved on the ring, for me, was unmistakable--Alexander the Great, the young, famous Greek general, who had ruled the known world and led Greece to it's golden years until his untimely death at 34-year old. He was a Macedonian and hailed from the same part of Greece as my father.

"Oh, wow. Alexander the Great," I exclaimed. I looked up to see whose hand I was admiring, and there stood Max.

"How do you know that?'" he asked, clearly surprised to find someone who recognized his hero.

"Because I'm Greek."

"You're Greek?" Max seemed a little surprised that I, a blonde hair, blue eyed Salsera in North Carolina, claimed Greek origins, but he happily pounced on our common interest.

"I grew up in Greece," he continued.

And so, a new dance began...

18 comments:

Alice said...

Love the story ... it's beautiful!

MsTypo said...

What a lovely story. :) And historians thought that Alexander the Great's conquests ended centuries ago. Little do they know. :p

Simple Answer said...

Salsa? Really? I like you even more today. I really do.

jaded said...

Sweet!

Sizzle said...

I love this story. :-)

Jack Steiner said...

Cool story.

Shelly said...

Awwww, obviously it was meant to be.

kenju said...

I love it too! Definitely meant to be.

G in Berlin said...

You guys are the cutest! Better than my story- I met the German while having an outside smoke with a coterie of other German exchange students- he was there to talk and we hit it off.

On the plus side, I no longer smoke:)

meno said...

I love "How We Met" stories!

Dixie said...

*sigh*

That story is just so sweet!

Rositta said...

Beautiful story, that's how love is...ciao

Dianne said...

you guys are such a gorgeous couple!

Unknown said...

Ahh, that's such a great story (to one day tell your kids!!)

karey m. said...

oh, i love a good love story...

Sarah said...

Your dad would be proud!

running42k said...

great story

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

what a great 'how did you meet' story :)