The Love Story

Started Winter of 1994

Chad & Paula met at college, Monmouth University in West Long Branch New Jersey.  Chad came to Monmouth to be a part of its inaugural football team and Paula enrolled at Monmouth as an honors student.  It would make a great story if Paula was Chad's tutor and they fell madly in love, but that is not how the story goes.  

In the Spring of 1994, Chad was a fraternity brother of Phi Kappa Psi and Paula was a sorority sister of Delta Phi Epsilon.  The future newlyweds first noticed each other at a mixer party for pledges.  All of the pledges were playing a party game and Paula needed a place to sit so she can join in on the fun.  One of her sorority sisters forced Paula & Chad to share a chair together and resume the game.  Chad had eyes for Paula instantly, Paula's interest was the party game.

Chad and Paula never hung out together after that until the last night of the spring semester.  It was the last day of exams and afterwards all of their friends were at this bar in West Long Branch, "The Laff Inn".  Chad and Paula ran into each other and started talking,  "Do I know you from somewhere?".  The Laff Inn was packed so conversations were limited to screaming in ones ear.  It is funny how fate works.  Their 1st meeting they were forced to sit in the same chair and their second meeting they were forced to have a conversation because they were stuck together in a crowded bar and couldn't move.

As the story goes, Chad asked Paula where she went to high school and she told him Villa Maria Academy in Malvern, PA.  Chad bet Paula that he could name an alumnus from Villa Maria even though he was from NJ.  His answer was Tiffany O'Hara.  Paula was shocked, little did she know that Chad knew Tiffany from his childhood on the Jersey Shore.

Chad and Paula were deep into conversation and didn't realize that both of their rides had left and gone back to campus.  Fate strikes twice in the same evening, as Chad and Paula were forced to walk the 2 miles back to campus together.  They got lost and quickly got their first fight out of the way.  As you may know that they are both very stubborn and each has their own sense of direction.  Well the 2 miles turned quickly turned into 4 because the two wound up walking a mile in the wrong direction.  The two made it back to campus after a tiring walk.  But the quality time they spent arguing about which way it was back to campus fueled an attraction.  The future couple ended their night with an unplanned goodnight kiss and went their separate ways for the summer.

Their Sophomore year started the next fall and Chad was concentrating on football, while Paula continued with her studies and her new job as a Resident Assistant.  Both Chad and Paula had in the back of their minds the night at the Laff Inn and their walk home.  And in their hearts, the feelings that they had for each other, but they never made an attempt to see each other.  Although they had many opportunities to talk, it never seemed to be the right time to talk to each other.

Opportunity # 1 - It was the 1st day back at campus and Chad had to sign up and get the keys to his new dorm room.  Paula was the Resident Assistant who had to give him his keys.  They realized who each other was, but with 70 teammates behind Chad in line to get their keys, they were unable to talk.  Both Chad and Paula were shocked to see each other again but nerves, macho ego and 70 people in line got in the way of conversation.

Opportunity # 2 - It was the 2nd week of classes and Chad was walking out of the Business Building and Paula was walking in.  They both got to the door at the same time.  Of course they couldn't get the door open because they were both pushing on the door.  They realized when what they were doing, Chad stopped and Paula opened the door.  Unfortunately their last meeting left Chad feeling awkward in Paula's presence, so Chad's nerves got the best of him again and he said nothing and continued walking.

Opportunity # 3 - The next weekend Chad was in the parking lot of the dorm where Paula was living.  He was talking to a girl that he met that night.  Paula was coming back from a party and saw an ambulance in the parking lot of her dorm and went up to the 1st person she saw to ask what was going on and who was hurt.  Of course the 1st person Paula came up to but didn't realize, was was Chad, and yes he was talking with another girl.  Chad told Paula that he did not know what was going on with the ambulance and continued his conversation with the girl.  Paula ran inside to see what was the matter.  At that moment, Chad realized that he needed to talk to Paula but he couldn't because she was already in the dorm and he was talking to this other girl.  Chad thought he blew it with Paula.

Opportunity # 4 - Chad's fraternity was throwing a party to celebrate the football team's victory in the season opener.  Paula was at the party in the kitchen talking with some of Chad's frat brothers.  Chad noticed Paula and walked right by her and did not even say a word to her.  Paula stopped her conversation immediately and followed him out of the house and said, "Why won't you talk to me?".  Chad responded with, "I dunno."  Good answer Chad !!!.  Paula was the one that finally got up the courage to start the conversation that should have taken place during opportunity # 1 or shortly after.  Chad was still nervous around Paula and did not add much to the conversation besides, "I dun no."  Chad left the party and went back to campus.  His frat brothers came back to the dorm to tell him that a fight broke out in the basement of the party that he was just at.  The fight was pretty bad and some people got hurt.  One of Chad's frat brothers told him that he thinks that he saw Paula down in the basement talking with some of her friends when the fight broke out.  Chad was concerned and his nerves went away and he immediately went to Paula's dorm to see that she was okay.  Paula was fine, she was back from the party and she was eating pizza with some of her friends.  Paula asked what Chad was doing in her dorm, and Chad said, "I dun no" but then told her that he was there to she if she was ok.  Chad and Paula finally had that talk and started dating on October 13, 1994.  Their wedding day will mark seven years together.

Naphegyi
Copyright © 2001.All rights reserved.
Revised: 26 Jul 2001 .

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