Everybody seems eager to share stories about people who have found romantic happiness with someone from their deep past: the uncle who is dating a former elementary-school classmate, the co-worker engaged to a guy she first met at sleep-away camp. And there are countless tales of Westchesterites who went to a bar mitzvah or a class reunion or a wedding or a funeral, and before they left the catering hall, they had renewed a relationship that eventually led to marriage.
Urban (or suburban) myth? Absolutely not! There’s even a name for these on-again lovers: “rekindlers,” coined by California-based psychology professor Nancy Kalish in her book on finding romance with an old flame, The Lost Love Chronicles: Reunions & Memories of First Love. Acquaintances and former sweethearts alike heed the call to catch up—and possibly find happily ever after—with one-time friends, neighbors, and schoolmates. We heard first-hand accounts from quite a few couples with Westchester roots, and several were even brave enough to go on the record about their love lives, from high school to happiness.
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Lorri and Rick Venturi |
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Danielle Belfiore and Chris Meckley |
