The Wrong Email Address Was Just Right

Ruben Salazar lived in Waco, Texas. Rachel Salazar lived in Bangkok, Thailand. They weren’t related, had no friends in common, and with thousands of miles between them, had no occasion to ever meet. Each didn’t know the other existed.

Until Ruben received an email one day.

It clearly wasn’t meant for him, referring to a biodiversity awareness campaign on the other side of the world. But instead of hitting delete, Ruben scrolled through and discovered the intended recipient’s name and email—the address only slightly different from his own. He forwarded the message to the correct address, with a note:

Hi Rachel,

Hola, Prima! [Hi, cousin!] It seems as if this message came to me instead of you. I'm in Waco, Texas, U.S.A.

It’s good to hear that biodiversity is such an important topic around the world!

Have a great day!

P.S. How's the weather there in Bangkok?

With those words, Ruben and Rachel became international pen pals. At first it was merely a fun diversion, communicating with someone so far away. But one day, Ruben hovered his mouse over Rachel’s email address, and the photo she’d posted on her profile popped up.

She was beautiful. Ruben was smitten.

Because of the time difference, Ruben stayed up late at night, until it was morning in Bangkok, so he and Rachel could talk for hours. They shared their hopes, their dreams. Over the Internet and phone, the distance between them quickly shrunk. The pen pals became something more.

Rachel finally booked a trip to the U.S. She couldn’t stay long, only eight days. She didn’t tell her family and friends, knowing they’d think she was crazy, flying around the world for a man she’d never even met in person.

Ruben told everybody.

Meeting in person only confirmed what they already knew. Out dancing one evening, Ruben knew he didn’t want her to leave. He got down on one knee and proposed.

The Salazars will be married four years this November. National Public Radio's StoryCorps interviewed the star-crossed couple and shared their story last week.

How did you meet your significant other? What twist of fate brought you together? Let us know at mw@guideposts.org, or in the comments below.

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