How We Met

How We Met

It was beautiful and crisp Sunday morning March 22, 1998 when they met. By ten AM things had already been hectic as people were preparing for the wedding of Rica Mendes to Scott Barry. Amidst the chaos, Bridesmaid Lisa Blocher heard a hearty laugh and a chuckling voice exclaim, "They'd better hurry up. These pants aren't getting any looser." She looked over and saw the Best Man, Ari Wolov, smiling at her with the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen. She laughed back, and at that moment, both Lisa and Ari felt something unexplainable stir inside of themselves. They both felt it, but didn't think it could be love. Who could fall in love at first sight? They did.

During the reception, they spent every minute together. Ari never left Lisa's side. They danced to every slow song together, they laughed together, he even sat out the fast dances with her since she had hurt her ankle. Ari and Lisa were inseparable that day. Towards the end of the party, Lisa felt reluctant to go home. She felt like she just could not leave Ari; there was something pulling her towards him: something physical, almost tangible. Ari must have felt it too, for he asked her to join him back at Rica and Scott's apartment to help them get ready for their honeymoon. Lisa couldn't resist agreeing.

As soon as they arrived, Lisa went to help Rica change out of her wedding gown and immediately asked Rica about Ari. What kind of person is he, how did they meet, is he admirable, is he trustworthy? The answers to her inquiries were exactly what she had hoped they would be. According to Rica, Ari was a wonderfully caring person. They met several years before on a year long trip to Israel with their youth group, Young Judaea. She also said he was a loyal friend and someone who could be trusted. Unbeknownst to Lisa at the time, Ari had also been questioning Scott about her.

Having received a commendable reference from their friends, both Ari and Lisa decided to go for it. They had both been hurt before, they figured there was nothing to lose. Lisa was a bit concerned about the fact that Ari lived in Massachusetts while she lived in central New Jersey, but Rica assured her that if Ari liked her, he would move to New Jersey to be near her.

Lisa offered to drive Ari to the bus station to catch his bus home. Once there, they both realized that they did not want to leave each other's side. They felt torn about the idea of not seeing each other. After deliberating for a while, they agreed that Ari would go home with Lisa for the evening and she'd drive him to the bus stop near her the next day. And so their relationship began with a bang.

They enjoyed a respectful night together in each other's arms. Upon later discussions about their first night, both Ari and Lisa realized that they had already fallen in love by that time. When she drove him to the bus station later that next day, neither wanted to say goodbye. They had already promised to see each other as soon as possible, but it wasn't soon enough. It was as if the physical bond that had formed between them the night before had strengthened and would painfully break if they were too far apart. Knowing they had no choice, though, Ari got on the bus. Lisa felt such an irresistible urge to yell out "I love you!" but she caught herself just in time. "You're crazy," she chided herself. "You just met this guy yesterday."

June, 1998. Ari and I just after my parents renewed their wedding vows. They were celebrating 30 wonderful years together.

Letters From Loved Ones