“Love comes from the most unexpected places….” So goes Jose Feliciano’s old familiar tune that aptly applies to the serendipitous encounter of Nena Kaufman and Raymond Smith. Theirs is a love story paved by an accidental meeting that transcended expectations, defied all norms, and led to a lifetime commitment. Their accidental meeting one late summer of 2012 unexpectedly opened long “closed doors” for both of them.
Flashback: Starving and wanting to take a break, Nena and a friend dropped by a New York City restaurant for lunch. A towering guy on his way out, taking a last glance at the seat he occupied, unintentionally bumped onto her that caused the folder she was carrying to lose grip of her arms and its contents went scattered on the floor.
The gentleman that he is, the man wasted no time and bent to gather the papers while Nena simultaneously did the same. In doing so, their eyes inevitably met.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it,” were the first apologetic words Nena heard from the culprit.
“It’s okay. Thank you anyway,” she snobbishly said after getting back the folder and walked to a table, leaving the guy behind puzzled and confused.
While slowly recovering from what happened, Nena was slightly jolted from her seat when the guy reappeared reiterating his sincere apology. She tried to brush him off with a cold response, “No, no. I said, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” And she resumed scrutinizing the menu she was holding to evade his sharp glances.
Before she knew it, the guy was trying to slip a business card and said: “Maybe, you can call me later.”
“Excuse me?” she uttered instantly, adding “I don’t call any man, much more a stranger,” she clearly stated while raising an eyebrow and casting her eyes away to avoid eye contact with him. “How fresh could this guy be,” she said to herself.
Persistent, aggressive, and persuasive in his move to make amends, the guy repetitively asked for Nena’s forgiveness. She was eventually pacified and accepted the business card. But it was nothing of sort to Nena. That incident could have been just one of the many casual happenings in her ordinary day. Nothing significant at all. She actually slept soundly that night and forgot everything that transpired.
Days went by casually for Nena until a week later she received a call from somebody with an unfamiliar number. When the voice at the other end of the line identified himself as Raymond, all she could directly ask was: “Raymond? Raymond, who?”
“This is Raymond, remember? The guy who bumped into you last week at the restaurant,” the gentleman on the other end of the line said.
And the entire scenario vividly came flashing back to her mind, painting a clearer image of who Raymond was. Stunned in disbelief why he would unexpectedly call, Nena merely listened to what Raymond was saying as she continued doing her chores until she was halted at a point when Raymond invited her for dinner which she politely declined with an acceptable excuse.
“I feel honored, but I’m so sorry. There’s no way that I could squeeze in your invitation to my already loaded schedules. But, thank you anyway.”
Nena thought she had already freed herself from Raymond’s persistence until a woman called the following day who happened to be Raymond’s daughter. The woman humbly begged her to accept her father’s invitation to give him a chance to know her better. The caller sounded serious and genuinely concerned about his father’s dilemma that eventually melted Nena’s cold heart.
She thought all the while that her children would be against it when she consulted them about the whole thing but their unanimous consent was way far from what she expected.
And out for dinner she went with Raymond but with muted resentment since Nena has personally decreed not to enter into any serious commitment that might control her not only from attending social affairs but might directly or indirectly jeopardize her own fund raising events and community service. At her enviable status as free-wheeling and single, Nena already feels secure, contented and unperturbed by any negativity. She has devotedly considered serving her community and people in her own capacity and in any way she could deem possible. And that’s how living life is for her.
But Raymond never got tired in wooing her. He openly professed his serious intentions to the extent of laying everything on the table down to the tiniest aspect of his being, his background, what he is now, and his future plans. These cleared all doubts and fears that kept clouding Nena’s mind.
Their constant togetherness brought forth interesting discoveries about Raymond: that he’s not the charlatan type who brags and weaves a plethora of lies and hot air just to impress and deceive people. He never hides anything from her, never used pseudonym nor name dropped just to spur interest.
Despite Nena’s unconditional schemes and unimaginable tactics to discourage and turn him off the Raymond remained challenged. His solemn vow not to fall in love again after his wife of 49 years passed away instantly just popped like a bubble with that mere bumping incident with Nena.
During the holidays, Nena was introduced by Raymond to his family in a spiffing fashion, over a well set-up dinner. In the course of the association with his family, she was able to sporadically gather more informative data that gave her a conclusive idea, that a man of Raymond’s caliber is in dearth nowadays. That despite his already well financially secure and stable life Raymond remains low-key, devoid of ostentatious display of accumulated wealth. A rarity, indeed!
Just last February, Raymond earnestly displayed his peculiar sense of generosity and undying affection for Nena by gifting her with a two carat diamond ring. Nena, smart and clever that she is, knows exactly what it meant. And again, she consulted her children, only to be pushed to give herself another chance of blissful married life.
Then, Nena was left in a situation she thought was just fine but never been prepared for it. And after giving it some deep thinking and carefully weighing its pros and cons, she sounded off her final verdict. It was a “Yes!”
Right there and then, wedding plans and preparations were drawn and set. Both Raymond and Nena wanted the event not only pompously held but significantly celebrated. Like a first time bride, Nena had the usual chills and thrills but with indomitable pride.
Nena profusely expressed her uncontained joy in her emotionally-laden personal invitation to close friends:
An invitation to a celebration of life and love
My dear friend,
The heavens have cast down on us bountiful blessings as the firmament offers an inspiring glimpse of its tranquil ambiance giving me a justifiable reason to gather all of my friends and exultantly celebrate my new status.
I’m taking this most opportune time for you to share with me another significant milestone as I formally bind myself to a sacred commitment. Yes, my dear, you read it right…I’m giving myself another bid for a blissful wedded life with a gorgeous guy named Raymond.
After I’ve delved all my life in a tumultuous day-to-day existence, I knew quite well that my good deeds would merit a due reward. There were myriad schemes and huge impenetrable forces that tried to pull me down but these absurdities were merely like passing tempest that only promises silver linings after.
My sensitivity echoes in a parallel track…while my detractors only made me even tougher and stronger enough to combat negativity.
C ‘est la vie! True enough, such is life! And after having dodged every poison arrow aimed at me, I came out triumphant. For such is my destiny…to survive and serendipitously meet my “knight in shinning armor” who would color my world with kaleidoscopic hues.
So, please come and join us in the celebration of our life and love on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at1 pm at the Astoria World manor (25-22 Astoria Blvd., Astoria, NY 11102) when Raymond and me jointly welcome guests and friends into our new world.
With our fondest thoughts, Nena and Raymond
The simple and intimate wedding actually took place on the same day when Nena celebrated her birthday, last Thursday, April 4. The invitation was merely for the reenactment ceremony and extended reception for the couple’s friends to share with them the celestial joy of their newly wedded life.
Even before the strike of one o’clock pm, guests started to arrive and convened at the venue’s atrium for cocktails and rounds of drinks while the newly-weds milled around entertaining them. The bride, donned in a strapless close-to-the-body spring green gown tirelessly hugged and kissed her friends while the groom, in a charcoal-black suit accented with a chartreuse green tie, tagged along with her trying to catch up with his wife’s undiminished agility.
Later, the most-awaited re-enactment ceremony came, initiated with the entry of the groom, Raymond, in an all white ensemble escorted by his equally towering grandsons Kevin Pierro and Eric Zirkel.
Sixteen pairs of principal sponsors in hues of spring green followed, gracefully led by Mrs. Eleonore De Leon (who was supposed to be escorted by her hubby, Hon. Con. Gen. Mario L. De Leon, JR. who unfortunately had a previous commitment) and Dr. Linda Pelayo who both walked side by side in the arms of Erno John Hormillosa.
The following pairs of principal sponsors made up the rest of the wedding entourage: Dr. Connie Quiambao and Engr. Rudy Quiambao, Lito Pernia and Ollie David, Gerry Austria and wife Imelda, Joe Ramos and wife Louella, Engr. Mario V. Garcia and wife Chona, Dr. Menardo Yap and wife Cleoty de Dios-Yap, Buddy Deauna and wife Cely, Ric Borja and wife Nita, Antonio Canete and wife Cynthia, Greg Agulan and wife Yuka, Gani Puertollano and Linda Limcaco, Bing Fabricante and Gwen de Vera, Jeffrey Stern and Nelia Ferrete, and the last but not the least, Ferdie Aczon and wife Hernie.
Twenty-five peach-clad ladies, collectively tagged as Nena’s Belles, glamorously stood as bride’s maids: Mrs. Phil.-Int’l. 2013 Dr. Alicia Almendral, Rosalinda Auletta, Heidi Briffa, Belinda Cervas, Linda Contreras, Annie Copo, Grace Cornachiullo, Greta De Guzman, May Durano, Angie Havoc, Josie Lanzuela, Alice Matamis, Lucy Mikel, Marivir Montebon, Marilis Policarpio, Christi Ras, Aileen Reyes, Marian Reyes, Vicky Sestoso, Lyn Simpson, Ruth Sityar-Medina, Cherry Smith, Luchi Vivas, Jovi Miguel, and Joan Penaloza.
The groom and bride’s relatives, the Smiths and Migrinos, were present to support their family patriarch and matriarch, respectively. From the Smith side: Karen Smith-Perro with husband Mike, and Kathleen Smith-Hubner with husband Eric.
Also in attendance from the Migrino party were: Marho Migrino and Evan Waterman, Madeline Migrino and Tim Silver, Marichelle Migrino and Chad Teanio, and Nena’s only son, Manny Migrino.
Nena’s sister Remedios Magluyan stood as Maid-of-honor while grandson Alexander Waterman and Chloe Magluyan were Ring bearer and flower girl, respectively.
The spectacular set-up and elegant atmosphere of the ballroom was instantly made even glitzier upon the dramatic entrance of the bride and groom which imperatively demanded a voluntary standing ovation amid thundering applause and deafening cheers. The scenario was not far from the ordinary wedding procession that we have witnessed but the grandeur of the Kaufman-Smith wedding entry has made a difference. Maybe because every guest was more than excited and thrilled than the newly-weds.
Though Nena didn’t feel the traditional bride’s wedding goose bumps, her obvious body language easily gave away her suppressed excitement. The blushing bride constantly held her dashing groom’s hand…while the latter tried to be at par with his bride’s innate social demeanor.
Nena, aside from personally attending to the smallest detail of the cocktail and wedding receptions could still amazingly manage to maintain her glamorous poise and intriguing effervescence during the entire duration of her grand day. After all these years of being used to mounting big fundraising events Nena must have eventually mustered the art of staying gracefully composed under a tremendous fusion of tension and pleasure. Her plastered smile and infectious laughter unmistakably spoke of uncontained joy from her new-found bliss.
As expected, host Jocelyn B. Ochoa was an effective and lively host having had managed to make every single portion of the program exciting and interesting as she announced it with high-spirited enthusiasm while tested event choreographer Erno John Hormillosa effortlessly proved his unmatched mettle in the field with his well-paced production sequences hastily rehearsed under a very limited time frame.
Destiny, indeed, is untold and uncertain! And marriage, they say, is like a thief that comes during one’s unawareness. Although not first-time lovers, being Nena’s third and Raymond’s second, yet the new couple relentlessly emitted that inner glow and mutual affection of two people deeply in love.
To Nena and Raymond, here’s a grand toast for a more solid togetherness. That ‘though this may not be your first but hopefully this would be the last ‘til your final breath. Once again, “Congratulations!” from all of us in Asian Journal.
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