Getting to know each other at university: "His appearance threw me off quite a bit – but I managed to invite him"
Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Luise met her future husband in October 2015 when he arrived late at her student dorm to pick up keys.
- Despite an initial jolt, Luise invited him to a bar night, leading to a deep conversation that lasted for hours.
- Nearly eleven years later, they are married with children, cherishing simple moments like sharing supermarket chocolate pudding.
Luise, now 30, recounts the serendipitous meeting that led to her marriage nearly eleven years ago. In October 2015, during her student dorm's off-hour key service, she received a late-night call. When she went to meet the new resident, his appearance, described as having blond, full hair, a slight beard, and a wide smile, instantly captivated her. Despite being taken aback, Luise managed to invite him to a bar evening at the dorm for the following day.
His appearance threw me off quite a bit – blond, full hair, a bit of a beard, and a wide smile that stretched from ear to ear – but I still managed to invite him to a bar evening at the dorm for the next day.
Their initial conversation at the bar was extensive, covering topics from politics to communication theories and psychology. Luise was impressed by his calm demeanor and broad interests, and she felt an immediate sense of comfort in his presence. Two days later, he persuaded her to attend a party, where they danced all night. As dawn broke, they continued their conversation for hours outside the dorm, discussing their families, his rural upbringing, and even favorite singers.
His calm demeanor and his interest in the most diverse things from politics to communication theories and psychology impressed me. And I simply felt comfortable in his presence.
As the night grew colder, Luise offered to make him chocolate pudding. He accepted, coming up to her room. However, due to a youthful phase of veganism, she only had rice milk, resulting in a pudding that tasted rather unpleasant. He ate it nonetheless, a gesture Luise remembers fondly. This simple act of sharing, despite the less-than-ideal pudding, marked a significant moment in their budding relationship.
I just didn't want this night to end, but it got colder and colder. So I offered to make him a chocolate pudding at my place.
Today, Luise and her husband are married and have two daughters. She often finds herself marveling at her good fortune, especially when seeing him asleep between their daughters after a late-night bedtime routine. Their enduring affection is often expressed through small gestures, like bringing each other supermarket chocolate pudding when they want to do something nice for one another, a sweet callback to their memorable first encounter.
Today, almost eleven years later, we are married. Sometimes I see him sleeping in bed between our daughters, because the bedtime accompaniment took longer again, and I can hardly believe my luck. And when we want to do something good for each other in our hectic everyday life, we bring each other chocolate pudding from the supermarket.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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