If it's meant to be...

I used to work on cruise ships and I had the pleasure of hearing so many special stories, but there is one that I will never forget...

Once I noticed this older couple who were spending their whole cruise just dancing. Every chance they could get, and they danced so well together and they were always smiling and laughing. I got chatting with them and since they were Irish like myself we became quite close, and they told me their story...

They were from the North of Ireland and met at a weekend dance when they were 17. They danced together all night for three or four weeks in a row, but then they were separated by their families. Then her family moved to the UK, and they lost touch altogether.

After a good few years, he went to Uni in England, and one day who walked in to the class, but his sweetheart! She was his professor, now married with kids. They fell in love again in no time, but for the sake of the other man and the kids, they maintained a friendship that lasted until he took up his travels. These travels took him to Brazil, where he settled and married a nice woman.

Many years later, her husband passed away and her kids grew up and moved out, she was sitting in a caf� with a friend and they got chatting about old times. The friend said that she had his address. She took the address and wrote a letter, thinking nothing would come of it, but she received a reply. His wife too had passed away. They got in touch via email. They talked on the phone. The first time they met in over 30 years was the day they boarded the cruise ship.

I swear, they giggled like teenagers, probably just the same as they did at that dance when they were 17. I think I hugged them about 50 times a day. At the end of the cruise I asked them what they were going to do? He turned to her and said, "well, if it's ok with the kids, I would like to spend a few weeks in Ireland." I swear, her smile, her eyes, her squeal of joy, just lit up the whole room!!!!

I was actually lucky enough to meet them again a year later by happy coincidence. They were took another cruise together and I just happened to be on the ship. We crossed the Atlantic from Italy to Brazil, and they planned for her to stay there with him for a few months.

They are nearing their 70s, they've both lost their partners, but they have found eachother again and they are madly in love, dancing, smiling, travelling... Wow