Maria and Manish

[mariaandmanish]

Manish and I met, of all ways, on the internet. Not through a chat service or a dating service, as you might imagine.

What happened was that I was online (aol) checking mail and things, and I got an IM from him asking if I'd like to talk. He searched the AOL profiles, and decided to email me from reading mine. Now, I know to be careful about random people, but chatting is not anything to worry about. SO, we talked through our IM's for about a week or so. Then, he gave me his phone number and asked if I wanted to call him.

Now, I wanted to call him, but I didn't know how to pronounce his name... and it would be embarrassing to say it wrong! (lol). So, three days later, I told him (lied) that I had lost his number and that he should just take mine and call me. Sneaky, huh?

Well, he did. And I learned how to pronounce his name!! We talked for about another two weeks almost every night and then he asked me out for dinner. We decided to meet at a restaurant in his home town. Actually, it had been my home town as well until a week before we met on the internet! I'd just moved to the Bronx! Weird coincidence!

[mariaandmanish]

So, after that we started dating. We dated for about 2 months exclusively and then decided not to be exclusive anymore, because he was working a lot of hours, and we weren't sure we really needed to be with each other like that. During our "exclusive" time, we'd only see each other maybe once a week or so.

SO that was that. We still dated, but.... Then, in November of that year (we had our first date April 1, 2000), Manish went to India for a wedding. While he was gone, I met a doctor and started seeing him. When Manish got back, he asked me to go out one night, and I couldn't because I'd already made plans with the Dr. Well, mr. Manish was not happy about that at all... and started asking why was I seeing someone else. So, I had to explain that as far as I'd known it, we were not exclusive and had he wanted that to change, all he had to do was tell me. Needless to say, after that we were exclusive!

[WhiskeyGirl]

Lol it's funny how the minds of men work. "hey we're not exclusive but you can't see anyone else!!" lol. Glad it all worked out and you are here sharing your wedding day with us Maria!! :)

[mariaandmanish]

Fast forward about 7 months. He got in a major fight with his dad, and decided to move out on his own and he asked me to move in with him. I went back and forth on that one for a little while, but felt that it was the right thing to do... it just felt right, you know? and moved in with him on July 22, 2001.

Fast forward 4 years.... we've now moved 3 different times, and inherited his younger brother to live with us as well (fBIL is 24 now). We've been talking about getting married, seriously, for about a year, but with his culture, he really needs for his parents to give their blessing.

So, he asks his dad.. who says they'll talk about it later... and said that about 6 times. Drove me nuts!!! Finally, August 31, 2005 (fh's bday) his dad gives ME a great present, by giving manish and I his blessing to get married.

Fast forward again, Dec. 3, 2005... manish and I go to the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, and he gets down on his knee (in public! and he's not really the publicly demonstrative person AT ALL!) and asks me to marry him.

And the rest is history, as they say!

[mariaandmanish]

Lol it's funny how the minds of men work. "hey we're not exclusive but you can't see anyone else!!" lol. Glad it all worked out and you are here sharing your wedding day with us Maria!! :)


Thanks, Shawna for the good wishes. Men are very irritable creatures, aren't they! I have to say, though, that I love him for that statement. Only because he's not the demonstrative type, and that showed more feeling than I'd gotten from him up to that point. I'm glad he can be jealous, even though he's not generally.

[4424]

that's a wonderful story. i'm happy they gave you their blessing after all that time!

[BriansBride07]

thanks for sharing that wonderful story. I am so glad for the two of you that he did speak his mind. And you followed your heart and dropped the Dr.

[NicksBride]

What a romantic story, glad it all worked out for you!!!