02.27.2022

There were many factors and several people involved in the beginning of our relationship. After all we were just a couple of teenagers, clueless with regards to life in general, much less love. Two full semesters of well-intentioned teasing from batch mates, a few timely encounters, and just the right amount of prodding towards each other culminated in a four-day “first date” in the company of everyone that helped make it happen. It ended with the first “I love you”.

In the intervening 9 years we would go through everything together. Classes, school projects, and exams led to…more classes, school projects and exams. Well, that was the life we chose as we made our way to our medical degrees. In between we tried to squeeze in a bit of life - short trips out of town progressed into slightly longer trips out of the country with friends and with family. Certainly it wasn’t always easy. There were many more days sitting next to each other saying nothing at all as we stared at enormous piles of text than there were fun adventures. But being with each other always made it bearable, and in the end so very worth it.

The world is in the middle of a pandemic, and there is no end in sight. Borders are closed, people have not seen their friends and loved ones in months. But somehow in the midst of this he manages to bring us back to the place where we first said “I love you”, 500 kilometers away, ready with flowers, breakfast, background music, and a ring. It was hidden under the flimsy pretense of “going to eat lunch”, but it was perfect and it meant everything.