I met Claudia in April 1991. We had friends in common who knew we’d be perfect for each other. There was an immediate, clear, and strong attraction, but as she was on the staff of a six-month intensive personal growth program and I was a participant, we could not date. So we spent quite a bit of time together during the early sessions talking, starting to get to know one another. This was most unusual for me, as my pattern was to jump into bed with someone and then three months later, after realizing I had nothing in common with and in fact didn’t even like her, I would have to extract myself from yet another failed relationship. With Claudia, though, intimacy was built simply by talking, a lot.
Ten days after we met, everyone had to introduce themselves at a big group event by saying their name and the status of their primary relationship. When Claudia said, “I’m ready and willing to meet my husband,” a huge flood of energy rushed from my head to my toes and back to my head. It was all I could do to stop myself from standing up and shouting “I’m over here!”
Three weeks later I told Claudia about what had happened to me when she introduced herself. Six weeks after that she resigned from the program so we could be together. We were married within a year. That was almost eighteen years ago and we’re going strong. Simon Kaplan, Durham
