You Never Know – Until You Do: the story of our very first date…

Tonight marks the 25th anniversary of my very first date with Hub. A misunderstanding about the meeting up arrangements on the night meant that we almost did not get together. Thank goodness, though, it was all ok in the end, and here we are…

We had agreed that we would meet at a particular London pub after work at 18:30. I arrived in plenty of time, settled myself at the bar with a drink and the evening paper, looking forward to Hub’s arrival. I already knew that he was the consummate gentlemen, and expected him to be spot on time. I was slightly surprised, then, when 18:45 came and went, then 19:00, tick tock, tick tock.

I was full of mixed feelings. He did not seem like the kind of person to stand someone up. Of course, this was long before mobile phones, so there was no way for him to let me know he had been held up. Or had he? Perhaps a work commitment had prevented him from leaving the office on time. Perhaps he had had an accident. Perhaps, after all, he had changed his mind.

In the end, I could no longer stand the withering and pitying looks I was getting from others in the pub. I decided that the only thing to do was to call it a night, head home, and possibly find out the next morning what had happened. I threaded my way along the street towards my bus stop, weaving in and out of all the commuters heading in the opposite direction for their stops. All of a sudden, by some miracle, amidst those hundreds of people, I spotted Hub coming towards me. What were the chances?! We clasped hands in amazement.

So what had happened? Had he been held up? No. It had not occurred to my lovely man that I would wait for him inside the pub. He had gallantly waited outside for me, wondering where on earth I could be – exactly as I was doing only a few yards away. Like me, after a while, Hub headed off home. Luckily, though, and I like to think with the help of some fateful hand, he thought better of it and decided to return to the pub for a consolation drink. It was in that moment that he bumped into me.

Of course we quickly established what had happened. It was a joyous meeting. We took ourselves off to a different pub (I could not face going back into the one where I had been waiting!), then had a lovely meal. Hub proposed just a few weeks after that first date and here we are all these years later. We celebrated with a meal at one of our favourite Edinburgh restaurants, Bia Bistro. As usual, the food was exceptional; the service faultless.

 

It will be our silver wedding anniversary next year. But let me start the celebrations now by saying to Hub how very much I love him. I could not have wanted for a happier, more love-filled life and I look forward to many more years together. ❤

Hub and me in St James’ Park, London circa 1994

 

As we are now…

41 thoughts

  8. Oh, what an unforgettable first date, and what a relief when you both found each other, no wonder you knew so quickly that it was meant to be. Thank you for sharing this lovely moment and memory and congratulations, I love hearing stories like this. Have a lovely weekend Liz.

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  9. This is a wonderful story – most definitely fate took a hand 🙂 And I love the photos. Thanks for sharing this, Liz, and many congratulations to you both. (No doubt you will soon be thinking about how to mark your silver anniversary – if you haven’t started already!)

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  11. What a lovely story, Liz! Many congratulations to you both. I bet the people in the pub thought you were very poised and cool to be having a drink and a read of the paper there on your own though, and it was just self consciousness suggesting they were giving you funny looks!

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  12. Congratulations Liz and Liz’s Hub! As others have said – it was meant to be!
    Richard and I went on our first date together on the 21st January 1993 (the 21st January is also the birthday of our daughter Elinor) and we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in June 2019. Richard has told me we will be going on my long-awaited holiday to the Scottish Isles to celebrate! Yay!

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  13. The chances of meeting is impressive, it does seem like fate. Proposing so quickly as well, I love that. what a memorable occasion, that’s put a smile on my face this morning.

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  16. Congratulations! My parents had a similar experience, they agreed to meet outside a local church before going to a dance, but the churchyard had two entrances! They both went home believing they’d been stood up, and the matter was only cleared up at a chance meeting about a month later, wen they’d already written the other off as flakey! Just goes to show when things are meant to be they happen somehow 🙂

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  17. Serendipity, synchronicity… when the universe is on track, there’s no stopping it… human error can’t change fate, it seems !!! Lovely story, and happy ending, though it’s not ended yet !…
    Congratulations !

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  19. Omg this such a beautiful story!!! Wow! The beginning was wrapped up so quickly by an engagement just 6 weeks after the first date. Normally the advise is to wait things out and not rush straight away but this just goes to show there is no time frame when it comes to true love! Thanks for sharing! Beautiful 🔥. – 💋Mummanopoly💛

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