Alex and Emiliana were married on Saturday at the Berkeley Rose Garden. Emiliana was an old friend from The Princeton Review, the early years. She was often gone for long stretches of time, going to school in Philadelphia, traveling, visitng family in South America. But we became good friends.
I will never forget how she told me one day, at a concert at the Greek Theater “You’re not happy. You should break up with Bob.” In the rules of what’s allowed between friends, there’s definitely a chapter about being supportive of half-assed relationships. Telling me that I should get out of it was a ballsy thing to do. It took me a little while, but I finally did it. And I thank her for planting that seed.
Evidently, I get some credit for putting Alex and Emiliana together, as each of them mentioned it several times that night. Apparently, I finagled Alex, who was teaching SAT for me, to drive another local teacher with him on the job. My intentions were decidely un-matchmaking, but rather came from a place of desperation. About 95% of my job at The Princeton Review was spent trying to achieve the impossible and in doing so, coercion played heavily. So, by having Alex drive another teacher, I now how 2 teachers out at an offsite location that required a car. He says that he said he woudl do it if it was a cute girl. I probably would have liked and told him it was the cutest girl ever, even it was that really fat guy with bad skin. Luckily, it was Emiliana, who is very cute indeed.
Later, the naggy hens of the office manipulated Emiliana into bringing Alex to the office Christmas Party. And it all ran a rather nice course from there.
I have such a huge love for both of them, nothing could please me more than to see them happily together. Alex and Emiliana are such excellent, good natured, wonderful people. It adds incredible richness to my own life to think of knowing them, and I’m sure that the joy they will continue to bring to each other will last for a very lovely lifetime.
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Emiliana looked like a South American movie star from the 1940’s. The rose garden was a glorious splendor. The ceremony itself was quite brief and I might have liked to have heard a bit more from them, but knowing them, I’m sure they were both quite nervous and happy to not have to say much of anything. The reception was wonderful, at Dona Tomas, a restaurant that I had been to with Emiliana and her mom before. The outdoor courtyard was just a perfect spot and it was a warm enough night that it was quite comfortable into the evening. They couldn’t have had a nice day and there aren’t people who deserved it to be so perfect as they do.
margaret edith 