Meant to Be

I love it when things come together effortlessly, those precious moments when even the most difficult task or unlikely encounter is realized, as if the entire universe conspired to make it happen because it certainly wasn't the product of your sweat and blood.

This sort of thing has happened in my life ever frequently over the past 2 years.

The way Rico and I got together was serendipitous to say the least. We met at business school in Rio in 2001, when I was an exchange student studying management and he was in the middle of an economics degree. We dated briefly, including a chemistry-laden encounter on my last night in town, but totally lost touch after I returned to the US. I never dreamed I'd see him again...

Fast forward to 2003. Our mutual friend BL, also a student at the same business school, had gone to Mozambique on a short-term volunteer assignment and, when he realized that there were amazing opportunities in consulting, decided to stay in the country. He got a few local partners and started doing fundraising for private sector projects. A year later, BL convinced Ricardo to leave his job at an investment bank in Rio and move to Chimoio. Work continued to go well for the boys, and in mid-2005 BL convinced me to leave my job directing an HIV prevention program in Austin, TX and move halfway around the world to work with them. I accepted the offer and sold my car, broke the lease on my apartment, took my cat to live with my mom in California, and set out for an adventure.

The week before my departure date, BL called and told me that he'd be unable to pick me up from the airport in Maputo, one of my few conditions for moving to Mozambique. Instead, he said, Ricardo - you remember him, right? - would be in the capital on business and would pick me up and accompany me on the flight up to Chimoio.

After a long trip over from Brasil, I exited the Maputo airport and scanned the somewhat chaotic crowd outside the arrival area for any familiar face. To my delight, there was Ricardo. We hadn't seen each other for over 5 years. Overwhelmed with excitement - my first time in Africa, the prospect of a completely different career, the risk involved with my decision to move - I ran up to Rico and gave him a tremendous hug.

We both felt it. Our embrace was electric. In the midst of hopeful taxi drivers, honking horns, luggage porters, beggars and plenty of dust, all we could see or feel was the possibility held in the touch of our arms, the closeness of our faces, the sweet sweat on our necks. It was then that I knew: either this would be the most amazing thing ever to happen in my life, or it would be an absolute recipe for disaster. After all, Rico and I were to live together in Chimoio and, technically, he was my boss.

That night he took me out for dinner at Costa do Sol. We ate prawns, fresh crab and squid on the verandah of the restaurant overlooking the Indian Ocean, a swollen full moon rising orange on the horizon. We laughed, caught up on each other's respective lives, and subtly flirted. We also drank 2 bottles of South African Chardonnay, with one for the road for good measure.

Thus, my first night in Mozambique also became my first night together with Rico. We've been together ever since, and now are planning our wedding, to take place next year in the Anglican church of Santa Teresa, directly across the street from the Casa Rosa, in Rico's hometown and my heart-home. If that's not fate, I honestly don't know what is.

Since we are midful of the fact that we will be planning almost all of the wedding details from a distance, an early start is the key to a great ceremony. I'm pretty laid back about the specifics of planning - what food will we have at the buffet, what flower arrangements will be in the church, what color will our invitations be, etc. - but there is one detail I really care about being perfect: my dress. With that in mind, I wanted to take advantage of my time in the Bay Area to start looking for a wedding dress. My mom and I made plans to spend at least one day each week browsing around local botiques, and even to go to a bridal fair.

As we were driving back from Costco today, we spotted a little tiny bridal shop in the middle of a strip mall in Danville. On a whim, we decided to drop by. We didn't have an appointment, but the women in the shop were very kind and accomodated me anyway. I picked out several dozen gowns that I liked, and started trying them on. The second dress I tried on was breathtaking. I just knew. My mom looked at me and knew. The woman helping me knew. I went through the motions and tried on the other dresses, but they all paled in comparison to that second dress. We put in on hold just for good measure, but I know in my gut that this is the one. We will return to the shop on Tuesday to get it.

My dress is by a Spanish house called Pronovias, and the specific design was done for them by Valentino (yes, that Valentino). It is ivory silk with a halter neckline and a shirred beaded bodice. The skirt is layers of silk with a slit up the front, and somehow it manages to be slightly sexy but still overwhelmingly elegant. There is a long silk tie on the halter neck that drapes down my back. I tried on a veil and a simple tiara. The dress fits like it was custom-designed for my body and my personality.

And here is the best part: not only was this the second dress I tried on, thus saving me from hours of fittings at botiques throughout the Bay Area, it was on the SALE RACK! Because it is a one-of-a-kind dress from a discontinued collection, it was over 50% off. I couldn't believe it.

Wait - it gets better. I also found, at the same shop, the perfect dress for our rehearsal dinner. It echoes the layered look of the skirt on the wedding dress, but is super short and strapless. It is from a couture line, and has some details on the skirt that are somehow assymetrical that I can't even begin to describe in words. It is a deep teal satin (and a very small size, so I must be conscious about my weight for the next year. ai, ai). I love it!

My mom and I have been off the wall since walking out of the store. I feel so lucky. Sometimes I can't believe that THIS IS MY LIFE...