To all of you ISB'ers,
Some of you know me, most do not. But I have a fairy tale to tell you that actually came true.
I have waited agonizing years to be able to communicate this to you.
I met the love of my life, in Bangkok, as a teenager. I went to ISB from March of 1960 through the spring of 1963. In the interrum, I met a wonderful girl. Her name was Pat Maher. We fell in love and we had a 2-year relationship that, I was sure, at my tender age of 16, could never, ever be replaced. My folks and everyone said it was simply "puppy love." I was not convinced, but then I was very young, and I had no basis to contradict what they were saying. After Pat left Bangkok, I went about my life, always thinking about her, as we lost contact some years later.
I thought about that girl every day of my life for all of these years. Little did I know, but she was doing the same. We finally got reconnected about 3-1/2 years ago.
People say that you never forget your first love. I believe that that is absolutely true. In some cases, when you are lucky enough to experience it, a reunion, years later, results in a rapid burnout of the feelings you had for your high school flame. That is because you have matured and have become a far different individual from what you were in high school.
Sometimes, that is not the case. Of course, everyone changes and matures, but there are special parts of you that remain as pure and genuine as you were. Pat and I got reacquainted in March of 1998. That's about 35 years after Bangkok.
Can you guess? All of the old feelings were still there. This is, as I said, a fairy tail. But it is true life. We have been together now for almost 3-years, and our love for each other is as intense and true as it ever was when we were teenagers; no, more than ever. This woman is my mate. We were born to be together. We are to be married very soon. By the way, her parents finally approve of me and I have a very good relationship with them.
I thought that I'd share this with you ISB'ers. It was ISB that introduced me to the best woman I have ever known and I know that there are others out there who have had experiences such as Pat and I have had.
Good luck to you all, my ISB friends.
Les Wengel
October 11, 2001 |
