How I met Maria

the story of two girls at my office

In 1975, I worked as an accountant in a travel agency called TCI.
There was this chatty friendly girl  - Theresa, from the typists/steno section would come by my department and hello everybody. She figured out I was a Goan (we can usually tell) also found me interesting and hence felt comfortable to chat longer.
Being a shy person I needed someone to approach me first, and so we got to be good friends.

One day Theresa came to me and said, " I want you to meet one of my good friends"  This person was friendly, spoke very well, was attractive, always smiled and dressed well. My eyes were drawn to her - Maria.
I later discovered that Theresa’s intention, was to get me to know and befriend Maria, which I wasn’t aware of, but it worked for me.

In that meet, Maria was looking to fill up some raffle lists. I didn’t like raffles and initially shunned her, but she persisted saying it was for charity and to help someone in need and of course was backed by Theresa.  I still said no because I wasn’t interested, but then I saw her sad face and decided to give her something.
She was happy and said thank you and gave me this priceless smile.

Both these girls then made it a point to visit me at my desk, every lunch break and our chats and laughs blossomed into best friends, after which our meeting place was moved to the lunch room. The three of us sat together. Maria usually arrived late, since she was trying to complete a task entrusted to her, so, I would hold a spot for her next to me. During our conversations, I got this bubbling and joy deep inside me and hoped the lunch would not end, but you know how fast the clocks run when you need all the time.

There were many girls in the office, but I was very picky. Maria was different and also always approached me first.

We decided to study and graduate through the same college/university, giving us the opportunity to be together more often, studying and sharing notes, meeting in parks or libraries.
Maria was always eager to help if asked any question re class work. She would work on it at home and come with the solution the next day.
Over time,  our chats became more personal and deep.
As we got closer, Theresa stepped aside and left us alone, but still remained a friend. After all, she felt she accomplished her mission.

Maria and I attended office functions and coincidently also met at some weddings and as we both loved to jive, I would always ask her for the dance, she never refused and as observed by our colleagues and others, we blended well.

As we got closer, I waited patiently for her after work each day and accompanied her to her destination, even though I lived at the other end of the city.
Holding hands and chatting were the thrills of the bus rides. I got off one stop before her destination, which became a routine.

The more we met, the closer we got and over time our love grew stronger.

And so, that is how Maria came into my life.

Maria is now my story book. This is the beginning.

If you wish to hear more watch for the next snip, otherwise thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it.