"Why was she foolish enough to marry you?" In this series, we ask couples how they met - and then the rest...:

Love at first sight

by Lakmal Welabada

'Naga, Marlene and family would be delighted if you had joined them to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Saturday, October 14.' The invitation card was already in my hand. Their sons had planned to throw the gala party for them in Crowthorne Village Hall, Crowthorne, Berkshire.

Sirinaga Moonasinghe alias Naga and his wife Marlene de Niese, the delighted couple were excited about the grand event of their life, though they posed it was all what their sons, daughters-in-law and five granddaughters wanted. Sipping a cup of Sri Lankan fresh coffee with milk at the Galle Face Hotel Lobby with them, I began to jot down another interesting love story of a benevolent couple.

"It was a love at first sight," says Naga, a Sri Lankan expatriate with dual citizenship in UK and Spain, zooming back 50 odd years of his life. His wife Marlene de Niese looks on. "May I first relate about my family? It would be easy for you and your readers to have a clear picture of us," he says.

"My father, William Moonasinghe was a famous lawyer at Panadura. He passed away when I was one-and-a half-years, so I have no idea how my father looked like. My mother Beatrice became a widow of five children in her early thirties. My three brothers and sister were young adults by that time, and there was a big age gap between them and I, the youngest," he says.

Naga was at St. John's College, Panadura until the Japanese bombed Sri Lanka in the 1940s. His mother moved to Kandy with him and entered him at Dharmaraja College. They were there until his elder brother's wife died leaving three little kids. "So we moved to my brother's place at Kalubowila.

And then I entered Pembroke College, Bambalapitiya. My mother was the only soul in my world. It was a great tragedy in my life to see her death so soon. A few years after we came down to Kalubowila, she passed away. She was suffering from an incurable ailment. Then, it was called 'infiltration of fat into liver', but today it would be called 'cancer'... I was 17 years then, and was really lost," he sighs.

All Naga's brothers were well educated. So his mother wanted him to become a doctor. After her death his brothers tried to persuade him to continue his studies, but with his mother's death he had already lost his interest in everything. So they let him to follow a two-year course of shorthand and typing and book-keeping at the Polytechnic, Wellawatte. Soon he found a job in the Shipping Department of Delmege and Forsyth.

Naga's cordial behaviour won him many friends. That was how he was introduced to a friends' circle to which his future heart throb belonged to.

'My fair lady'

'Naga's heart almost stopped when he met Marlene, the 'My fair lady'. Cupid at once shot an arrow piercing Naga's heart. He fell in love. But kept it within him as he was too shy to express it. The twinkle in his eyes pricked Marlene's heart too, but didn't want to unveil it and continued with him as a very good friend.

Marlene was born to a Burgher family at Kalubowila. Her father, Charles de Niese was a Post Master. Her mother, Irene gave birth to five children. Marlene is the only girl and the youngest. After completing her studies at Holy Family Convent, Dehiwala, Marlene followed a course in Polytechnic and worked as a 'Hoover' Sales Rep at Walker and Sons, Fort for a short time.

"We had a very nice clique of friends, and used to have party weekends, birthday bashes, cinema and beach tours together. We used to make sandwiches, cutlets and patties for every party. 'Elephant House' brand was the only soft drink available. At that time, films were called pictures.

We never missed a single picture shown at the Savoy, Wellawatte and Majestic, Bambalapitiya. 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Rock around the Clock' were two pictures we thoroughly enjoyed. It was Jive before, and Rock and Roll became very popular after 'Rock around the Clock'," continues Marlene.

Their love bloomed gradually. A lovely little peacock gold brochure with blue stones that he gave her just out of the blue was the first ever gift she received from him. Marlene kept her foot down only once in her life as she wanted to enjoy her spinsterhood until her 21st birthday which fell on March 14, 1955. So she did. Naga who waited impatiently, finally gifted her a beautiful Rangoon Diamond ring, the shape of a leaf with 12 stones, and proposed marriage.

So, just a week before Naga's 23rd birthday, the romantic couple entered wedlock at St.Mary's Church, Bambalapitiya on October 26 in 1956. "My mother was a seamstress, and she got all my wedding trousseau and wardrobe ready with a few sets of beautifully embroidered pillow case and bed sheet sets.

I had a bouquet of pure white Orchids. My two bridesmaids and the flower girl had purple Orchid bouquets. We had the reception at the Women's International Club, Colombo. We had our wedding photograph at Turrett Studio, Kollupitiya. It was a surprise for me to see one of my school mates taking our wedding photo. It was a co-incidence. I didn't know it was her father's studio," she reminisces.

They went on the honeymoon trip in a big American Buick car to Grand Hotel, Nuwara-Eliya and Bandarawela. They had their 'At Home' at Marlene's place, Kalubowila as it provided more space and helpers for the gathering.

"It was a 20 day trip on 'Orontes' ship. And, also it was just after the Swiss crises and ours was the first passenger ship to go in the Swiss canal. We sailed through the Gulf of Eden, Napoli, Gibraltar and reached South Hampoton, UK in July, 1957. I was already pregnant, and my eldest son was born in September in the same year," she says.

Lucky families

The two families were somehow very lucky. Some of their friends known to them since they were kids and now settled down in UK helped them in many ways. Naga and his brother found jobs and soon they settled down in UK abandoning the idea to go to Canada.

"I had neither sisters nor daughters. But my three sons Christopher, Ronie and Michael who are all married to English wives have given us five granddaughters. Now, all of them are between 16 and 21 years. All our sons are doing very well now," she smiles.

"We decided to settle down in Spain as the weather there is much agreeable with Naga. Health and happiness are the most important things in life. We are financially ok, but wealth can't buy health. We have been in Spain for four years now. It's only a two hour flight from UK. Our granddaughters visit us often. Where we live is a very beautiful residential area close to the beach," explains Marlene.

How Marlene sees Naga? "Well, he is very adamant in decision making. As I've told you earlier I give in a lot. He is a social drinker who gave up smoking long ago. But he never gambled," she laughs. After listening with a frown on his face Naga laughed along with her last sentence.

"Marlene also did some part-time jobs. But, we never had separate bank accounts. What we earned was ours, and not hers and mine. It's our money. Both salaries went to the same pot. We practised this since our wedding. We have seen many couples arguing on money matters. And we never believed in the 'you'll pay house rent, I'll pay other bills' system," points out Naga. "Our arguments were always on when making the selections of things like wallpapers or cushion covers," laughed Marlene.

After having a gala party with their close ones in Sri Lanka at the Mount Lavinia Hotel last Saturday, Naga and Marlene flew back to UK on Thursday to take part in their other grand celebration with their offspring.