Interracial Marriage
Hilda & Aaron -
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Married April 2018
The “Wow Face” Worked This Time
“I did not have time to date because of my dedication to my career,” laments Hilda. Aaron’s motivation sprang from a simpler place. “I was curious,” he laughs. It was that simple. Then again, his casual attitude didn’t mean he was at ease with the online dating process. “Not at all!” he says to expand on that. “I was very uncomfortable.” Hilda notes that she was “not happy” to have to go this route, but she did feel a degree of optimism about the potential outcome. “I was hopeful to see if it really works,” she tells us.
A year after posting her profile, a relatively new member (Aaron) stood out to Hilda in the sea of profiles. “He was well dressed and had a nice smile,” she recalls. “I sent him a ‘wow’ face and he responded in Spanish with ‘buenos dias’ (good morning). And that was the push we needed to talk for 13 hours, because he was traveling by car to Florida. And I kept him company while he drove.”
Aaron says that when he got that “wow” emoji, he checked out Hilda’s profile and came away impressed. What inspired him to respond was a simple, but key, aspect of her photos: “Her smile! It’s beautiful.”
Hilda picks up the story there. “We met at an airport in PA,” she says. “We went to his sister’s for dinner.” Meeting Aaron in the flesh, she felt she hadn’t been prepared for one physical detail. Her first thought was, “Wow, he’s a really tall man, and I’m short!” Aaron, too, can remember what he was thinking in that initial moment. “Ay, caramba, how beautiful she is!”
A surprising development took place on this momentous first date. “We kissed for the first time,” exclaims Hilda. Aaron acknowledges the speed with which they became comfortable with a little physical contact. “We were holding hands in less than an hour,” he laughs. Apparently the couple ate at Applebee’s and, as Aaron notes, “We were eating side-by-side, not across the table.” But the intimacy didn’t stop there. Hilda adds, “I felt really comfortable with him trying to feed me!”
Of course, there were obstacles to overcome, both internally and externally. Hilda says one such challenge was her “fear of moving to a totally new place with a person I didn’t know well enough to live with.” Aaron’s list includes “family and financial troubles.”
The couple persevered through these difficulties and, one day, they reached a pivotal juncture in their relationship. “We were at a shopping mall, in front of a wedding store,” Hilda confides. “He asked me, ‘would you marry me now?’ I said yes and kissed him on the lips.”
For Hilda, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. “I’m more happy now and feel secure knowing that I can count on a great man,” she says of the impact that meeting the love of her life has had on her. Aaron has noticed the benefits, as well. “My life is more peaceful and satisfied!”
Asked what they’d say to the millions of singles out there, the happy couple came up with some words of encouragement. “Be trustworthy, sincere and transparent with your feelings for her,” Hilda advises the guys. “Hide nothing from her.” And Aaron tells everyone to keep their standards high. “Don’t settle for less, and don’t stop searching for that!”
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