For those of you that don’t know how the couple met, let me walk through this rather interesting tale of cat and mouse. In 2012 after having moved back from the UK, A boy moved into a block of flats called Wembley Square. Unbeknown to him at the same time, a lovely young, somewhat shy somewhat coy and ever to beautiful girl had also moved into the same block of flats and just 4 doors down from the young boy. One afternoon after having come back from a run, the boy parked his car in the basement and pressed the button for the lift to take him up to the third floor. The lift seemed to be taking an unusually long time on this particular afternoon, finally the lift door opened and what lay before his eyes completely bowled him over. In the lift stood a beautiful girl with a crown of long blonde hair munching on a packet of popcorn. The boy walked inside the lift and greeted the girl in a neutral tone. Intimidated by her looks he kept his head down and looked at his feet, too scared to look up or make eye contact. He watched her out of the corner of his eye and eventually plucked up the courage to start a conversation. Sheepishly he asked the girl where she had just come from. She told him she had been at gym. The boy could not concentrate on what she was saying, all he could do was stare at her. Then it struck him; he would use exercise as an excuse to see her again. He told the girl all about his triathlon and running club in a desperate attempt to impress her. He offered to take her running with him if she would so kind as to give him her number. The girl agreed and gave him her number. Finally, the lift arrived at the third floor for what seemed like an entirety. The girl handed over her half-eaten packet of popcorn to the boy and walked out the lift with cat like moves. He stared at her while holding the packet of popcorn as she slowly disappeared down the passage and out of sight. That girl was Leigh Anne and the boy was Lynden. One afternoon Lynden decided to leave a note under Leigh Annes door inviting her to come on a run with him in four days’ time. On the note he left his number. Excited by the prospect of seeing her again. He patiently hung onto his phone. Constantly checking for missed calls or text messages. He even went as far as to make sure he had signal and that the phone was indeed operating as it should. But the call never happened nor did he get a text message from her. He walked past her door several times in the hopes he would randomly bump into her again. Lynden decided to leave it. He suspected the girl was only being polite and never really had any intention of joining him for a run or seeing him again. He became suspicious, was this even her number ? Did she try throw him off the scent by giving him a false number.
A few weeks later Lynden went to the communal pool at Wembley square.
As he walked towards the pool, sitting on the side of the pool with her legs in the water, wearing a blue and white bikini with her crown of blonde hair was Leigh Anne Goodale.
Lynden realised he could not turn away now in case she had seen him. So he slipped into the pool and looked the other way. He greeted her nervously. She looked at him with a confused look on her face. The conversation was brief and very neutral. Lynden suspected the girl of being a player or a man eater, either way it was clear she wanted nothing to do with him.
Many months later while out one Friday night in Cape Town, Lynden noticed the same girl from Wembley Square, he walked over and greeted her. Once again Leigh Anne seemed confused as to who he was. This girl is good he thought, She sure knows how to play the game and be cool.
Later that night he sent Leigh Anne a text message and told her how nice it was to see her and that she looked beautiful.
To this day that text message remains unanswered.
Several years had passed and Lynden always found find himself thinking of the girl in the lift.
After his previous relationship had ended, Lynden decided to embrace the digital age and joined Tinder. Disillusioned by what he found on Tinder, one Sunday night however he decided to give it one last try. Suddenly he was startled after swiping. He recognised one of the profile photos on the app. It was Leigh Anne Goodale. In a panic he searched through his phone to see if he still had her number. Lone and behold he did. He quickly send her a message. Much to his surprise she responded this time. But the girl had forgotten his name and called him Lynton. Lynden didn’t care.
Not wanting to come across desperate and trying to keep what little dignity he still had intact, Lynden patiently waiting 3 days before he called Leigh Anne. They spoke for 3 hours that night. They caught up with what had been happening in each other lives and reminisced over their time spent in Wembley Square. They both didn’t want the phone call to end. Finally, at 1am. Lynden suggested that they should meet that Sunday at the Alphen hotel in the early evening for a glass of wine.That Sunday arrived and both were filled with a sense of interpretation.
The two, sat below the oak trees at the Alphen Hotel and spoke for hours while sipping on wine.
They stared at each other and hung onto each other’s words. Lynden could not believe she was actually sitting across the table from him. It had only taken him 5 years to get this far. A small price to pay for a lady like this he thought.
At the end of the evening the two stood by their cars. Unsure of what to do or how to the end the evening. The lingered in arbitrary conversation. Eventually they hugged and Lynden gave her a kiss on the cheek. The two agreed to meet up again the follow Friday.
That Friday, Lynden made dinner reservations. The two arrived at the restaurant on a cold autumn evening. They sat at a table near the fire and covered in candlelight, they spoke for hours once again and laughed at each other’s stories. After dinner the two decided to have a night cap outside in the courtyard at the restaurant. They had enjoyed each other’s company and bearing in mind that Lynden had been chasing the lovely Leigh-Anne for 5 years, he gently lent forward and kissed her softly. She smiled and kissed him back. It was on that night that the couple finally realised they were made for each other
Once upon a time they shared a packet of popcorn. Now they share their lives together.
Leigh-Anne woke up early to go for a long walk on the promenade in Sea Point. It was a windy day but she was determined to walk and get the blood flowing. She walked for an hour and when she got back Lynden was still sleeping!!!! She was so angry that he was still in bed and all she wanted was for them to go and enjoy their day! The next thing Lynden bounced up from the bed saying jokes!! Leigh got a massive fright and he was all dressed and ready for the day which put a smile on her face. He said pack an overnight bag, and make sure you have your costume and something smart to wear. Her knees felt weak and her heart started racing. She quickly got into the shower, packed and was ready to rock and roll. While in the car not knowing where they were going Leigh sent her sister (Kitty) a message letting her know they were on their way “somewhere” and that she had packed an overnight bag. They travelled along the Atlantic seaboard traveling in the direction of Hout Bay. They approached The Twelve Apostles thinking they would drive straight passed the hotel but then the car flicker went on and Lynden said to the Marshall “good day we checking in”. Leigh couldn’t believe it. They were going to spend the night at the most beautiful hotel in Cape Town. They checked in and got their swimming gear on and lay by the pool with a cocktail in hand. Their day had started, yay!! After there pool session they spent several hours at the spa relaxing and enjoying being treated. After their spa experience they went back to the room to get ready for dinner. Leigh was excited. They walked into the hotel and was welcomed by the hotel manager who said to them “please follow me”. They walked through the hotel to outside where they were welcomed by other manager who said “please come with me”. Leigh’s heart was beating fast not knowing where the gentleman was taking them. Lynden mentioned when they were at home to pack a pair of walking shoes which she didn’t but the shoes she was wearing were fine. They followed the gentleman up the mountain with the sea on their left and the mountain ahead of them. It was quite a walk and when they reached the top in the far distance was a white cocoon looking chair and a bottle of Moët cooling in the bucket. The gentleman said, “enjoy” and off he went back down the mountain. All of a sudden there was silence, birds chirping and the sound of the sea. Lynden did not waste anytime and popped open the bottle of Moët. They ventured onto a big rock and the view from there was gorgeous. And then!!! Lynden got down on one knee and asked Leigh to marry him. I said “ yes, yes,yes a thousand yes’s”. They kissed and hugged each other and almost both fell off the rock. They quickly went back to the cocooned chair and carried on loving each other and taking in the moment. This was a very special day for the two of them as it was inevitable since they had first met in the lift.