The Couple Who Fell in Love and Married After 32 Years – Mashallah to Such Love and Devotion

According to the Saed News Arts Service, sometimes time cannot dim the color of love. Thirty-two years is no small stretch, yet it could not erase the bond between this man and woman.

Bill Harby, an American tourist, met a Swiss girl during his travels. They spent three days together and then parted ways forever—or so they thought.

“I was sitting on the terrace of a café in Old Neuchâtel, Switzerland, drinking coffee, when a young woman entered and sat at the empty table behind me. On the table lay a carved brown chessboard. She placed a few mismatched pieces in their positions and then lifted her head. Her striking blue eyes gleamed like polished gems, and her black wavy hair framed her face. I wondered how to ask in French, ‘Would you like to play chess?’

Finally, I spoke. Using the little French I knew, I asked, ‘Would you like to play chess?’ She replied in French, ‘Pardon?’ I tried again, but she answered in English: ‘Maybe we should speak in English.’

Her name was Marie. She was 19 and had grown up in Neuchâtel. She had just finished her high school graduation exams and came to the café for a cup of coffee and some rest.

Over the next two days, Marie showed me the entire city. We walked the cobblestone streets leading to a 12th-century castle, lay on the grassy banks by the lake staring at the Alps, and stayed out until sunset before heading to local restaurants or cafés at night. At one café, a friend of Marie’s—a polite older man—joined us, clearly uncomfortable with my presence.

I was shy and never confessed my feelings over those two days. So, I left to continue to a destination I had forgotten. After a few days, unable to bear it, I returned to Neuchâtel. I sat in the same café where we had first met and waited.

My wait was short. We drank coffee, and she took me to her grandmother’s house, where we had omelet for lunch—my first ever. Another night in Neuchâtel, and there were still many places to explore.

We said goodbye in front of her home. As I walked away, I heard a faint whimper from Marie. Any other fool might have turned back and stayed forever.

In September, I returned to Chicago to continue university, and Marie enrolled at the University of Ontario in Canada. I reached out once; she hinted she might visit Chicago. But a few weeks later, when I contacted her again, she had met someone new.

Our connection was lost—for 32 years. After graduation, I traveled to Australia and New Zealand for a year and a half before moving to my family’s home in Hawaii. Sometimes, I thought of Marie.

Two years later, Bill and Marie found each other on LinkedIn. With the internet’s rise, small miracles began. In 2007, I Googled her name, found her LinkedIn profile, and sent a message. We reconnected.

Marie told me about a strange dream she had weeks before: a mysterious woman passed by and, when asked where she was going, replied, ‘Back to the broadcast.’ When Marie asked what was happening in the broadcast, the woman said nothing.

Both of us were divorced. Marie had three children; I had none. We discovered we shared a love for Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Vic Chesnutt—and realized we wanted to see each other again.

Marie came to Hawaii for a few weeks. The following year, I spent three months in Geneva living with Marie and her son, Daniel. Eventually, we decided to face reality together.

We have now been married for seven years. About six years ago, a longtime friend in Ohio sent me a package. Inside was a framed postcard. On one side was a photo of Montreux, and on the back, my handwriting:

‘…I met a 19-year-old beautiful girl in Neuchâtel, and we spent three amazing days together. Had I not left Neuchâtel on time, many love complications would have arisen.’

We returned to the same café. Today, that round, carved table sits on the terrace of our home in Neuchâtel.

Image: Postcard sent by Bill to his friend