An Amazing Love story

He met her in a party. She was so outstanding, many guys were chasing after her, while he was so normal, nobody paid any attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but due to being polite, she promised.
They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything. She felt uncomfortable, she thought, 'please, let me go home....'

Suddenly he asked the waiter, "Would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."

Everybody stared at him. So strange! His face turned red, but still he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, "Why do you have this hobby?"

He replied, "When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea. I like playing in the sea. I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown. I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there."

While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. For a man who can speak out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility of the home.

Then she also started to speak. She spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk and also a beautiful beginning of their story.

They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands. He had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm and careful. He was such a good person but she had almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!

Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, then they were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she would put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.

After 40 years, he passed away. He had left her a letter which reads:

"My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I ever said to you - the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. I actually wanted some sugar, but I had asked for salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our relationship. I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that as I had promised not to lie to you for anything.
Now I'm dying, I am afraid of nothing so I will tell you the truth - I don't like the salty coffee; it had a strange bad taste. But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, I would still want to know you and have you for my entire life, even if I have to drink the salty coffee again."

Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone would ask her "What's the taste of salty coffee?"

"It's really sweet." she would reply.

Love is not to forget but to forgive, not to see but to understand, not to hear but to listen, not to let go but to HOLD ON !!!!
Don't ever leave the one you love for the one you like, because the one you like will leave you for the one they love.

From an mail received July 2008