Fated First Date
At 18 years old, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania high school seniors Rick Hayward and Karen Lynch went out on a date. Rick took her out for ice cream and then bowling. Karen thought they had real chemistry – something that doesn’t happen too often.
You know how it is when you fall for someone. You can’t wait to see them or hear from them. You eagerly wait for them to get in touch. Well, Karen waited and waited for Rick to reach out to her.
Waiting For The Phone
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As is so often the case with dating, it’s never straightforward, so Karen waited. However, it turned out she would be waiting a long time – Rick’s call never came. Karen was confused and a little disappointed. Maybe he just didn’t feel the same way about her?
Back then, the only forms of instant communication available was a landline telephone, so it was a lot easier to fly under the radar if you didn’t want to see that person ever again. But why would he want to do that? What had changed?
So young Karen Lynch found herself in a confusing and dispiriting situation, and no doubt wondered what she had done to cause Hayward not to call her again.
Long Wait
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Days turned into months and months turned into years and still, there was never a second date. Decades later the pair had both moved on with their lives. These years saw the pair marry other people and have children. Both living extremely happy lives.
But in 2010, in a strange twist of fate, both got divorced. It was only then that Karen finally discovered why one of her very first crushes hadn’t asked her on a second date.
Friend Request
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After 33 years of silence, out of the blue, Karen received a friend request that would change her life forever. Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, the pair reconnected, and Karen was finally given her long-awaited and highly-anticipated answer.
After messaging each other on the social media platform, Karen received an unexpected call from Rick, and it was then that he revealed why it had taken him 33 years to call.
Finding Answers
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For Karen, this was her one and only opportunity to ask why the date in the 1970s didn’t lead to a second date or even a phone call. You never know if this guy might disappear again. After the reconciliation, they both began to think about what could have happened all of those years ago.
It took a massive 33 years for the pair to finally meet again and for Rick to work up the courage to pick up the phone and call Karen.
Blast From The Past
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“When I saw Karen on Facebook again I started thinking of maybe what could have been,” Hayward admitted when being interviewed about the remarkable story on the Rachael Ray Show in February 2017. “I finally got up the courage to ask her out on a second date 33 years later.”
Yes, it turns out Rick was a good man after all because despite having a great first date, he admitted he suffered terribly from shyness which meant he was always too nervous to pick up the phone and ask her out again- despite attempting to on numerous occasions.
Second Date
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The pair began dating and Karen realized why Rick hadn’t called her all of those years ago. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go on a second date, it was just that he lost his nerve every time he picked up the phone to call her.
Rick said: “I wanted to go out with her again, but I was very shy in high school. Every time I went to pick the phone up I chickened out. Weeks went by…” So much time had passed that Rick realized that he had missed his chance.
Passing Of Time
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“I finally said, ‘I can’t call her now. It’s been far too long since that date and she’s gonna be mad at me for not calling her.’ So, I gave up,” he recalled. At the time it seemed like their budding romance was just not meant to be.
But 33 years later, after that all-important second date, love began to blossom.
The One
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“I knew I wanted to marry Karen,” Rick admitted. This is when he decided to set up a dramatic proposal. “I took Karen to the jewelry store to do some ‘ring shopping.’”
While Karen was trying on some jewelry, the shop assistant handed Rick a ring. Then what did he do?
The Big Question
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In yet another example of Hayward’s sweet-natured persona, he got a shopping assistant to ask Karen, who was busy trying on some merchandise, to try on a ring. “She says, ‘Here, why don’t you take a look at this one,’ and hands it to me. And I stuck it on Karen’s finger and said, ‘Will you marry me?’”
As soon as Karen saw the ring she knew her answer would be yes.
Better Half
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Karen said: “Rick is an incredible person. He’s a gentleman. Best of all, he’s my best friend. He just is everything that I was looking for and some of the things I didn’t even know I was looking for.”
And, as Rick explained, the feeling was mutual. “Karen brought love back into my life and made me feel whole again. I don’t think I really knew what ‘your other half’ meant until now.”
More Surprises
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But just when you thought the story couldn’t get any better, media outlets caught wind of the story. Rick took Karen to New York for what she thought was some wedding dress shopping. But little did she know
Rick had yet another awesome surprise for his wife-to-be.
Making A Show
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Escorting his wife-to-be into a limo, the chivalrous gentleman handed Karen an iPad. On it was a ready-loaded video from none other than American talk show host Rachel Ray.
Rachel Ray made an announcement that Karen was not ready for. After expressing her happiness for the couple, Ray offered to host the wedding on her very own show the next day!
What’s Going On?
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For anyone who has planned a wedding, you’re well aware that it’s a monumental endeavor. Could you imagine having to do all that in just 24 hours? Clearly, there was a lot for Karen and Rick to think about – marriage licenses, finding the perfect dress and other activities that usually take months to plan.
For Karen, the surprises kept coming. Her mom and her soon-to-be-mother-in-law were at Kleinfeld for the dress fitting – but this wasn’t all…
Maid Of Honor
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Karen couldn’t possibly get married without her best friend by her side. But to her surprise, Dorie Perdie was already at Kleinfeld!
It turns out a lot of people had known about the surprise wedding but had managed to keep it a secret from Karen. Thanks to Rachel Ray, most of the grunt work had already been taken care of!
The Big Day
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With family and close friends surrounding them, the couple had their ceremony in the television studio of the Rachel Roy Show. Emotional vows were exchanged in front of the audience on the most romantic day of the year… Valentine’s Day.
Amazingly this wasn’t the end of the surprises for Karen
Honeymoon
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The show had organized a luxury honeymoon for the newlyweds.
As soon as the ceremony ended, the pair jetted off to Mexico where they were greeted by a private beach, a golf course, and 24-hour room service.
Starting Something New
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For these two lovebirds, it appeared that the Universe conspired with them so they could achieve love in its purest form, and as Lynch tearfully admitted to Rachel on the show.
She didn’t in her wildest dreams imagine she’d find love quite as good as the one she now has with Ray. “We didn’t expect to find this at 50, especially when it was somebody that you knew all your life.”