Every year when Chinese Valentine’s – aka QiXi Festival – rolls around, English-language WeChat accounts publish long articles about the holiday’s origins using the same, boring graphics of a boy and a girl in front of a moon on a bridge of birds. Click here if you really want to learn the story behind QiXi.
This year, instead of retelling that myth, Jingkids is sharing some epic real-life love stories.
This is the story of how Elizabeth Tucker and Kelli Cochran met and fell in love seven years ago, got married, and now have a bouncy baby girl named Frankie.
How they met
Elizabeth: We were both teaching at a school in Kuwait, and I was in a [heterosexual, long-distance] relationship at the time. Kelli wasn’t looking for anything, especially in the Middle East. There wasn’t an exact moment that it happened, but I always had a crush on her. One time we were in the elevator together and I was so awkward! Kelli said “Hello” but I was frozen. All I could keep thinking was “It’s my crush!”
Who asked who out?
Elizabeth: I had had a few drinks with some friends and messaged her.
Kelli: She sent me a selfie while I was at a desert party, and I showed it to my friend and asked them if that was something they would send a friend and they said no!
Elizabeth: It was a little suggestive… Then at subsequent meetings, we could just feel the electricity in the air between us. Then one evening, Kelli just said she wished we could cuddle. So we went back to my apartment and just talked all night. There was no kissing, no nothing, but it was just incredible. I’ll never forget that night.
The first date
Kelli: She had to end things with the guy first.
Elizabeth: And it had to be over Skype because we weren’t in the same country. It wasn’t ideal but what could I do?
Kelli: Then, for our first date, she picked me up from the gym and we went to this little cafe called 1008.
Elizabeth: It was an awkward first date because we were nervous, but [it was]still fun!
Kelli: The cafe was doing a decorative cup activity so we made a rainbow cup together and hung it up.
Elizabeth: The date ended at my place. There’s this joke: “What did the lesbian bring on their first date? A U-Haul.” Because we move fast!
Kelli: Or we’re just sure. We knew. I didn’t spend any more nights at my apartment for the rest of our time in Kuwait.
Proposing on a high
Elizabeth: After another year in Kuwait, we left and came to Beijing. In our first year here, we got engaged. We were unsure of who should propose to who, so we chose a day to get engaged and did something special. We were spending Chinese New Year in Malaysia when we hired a hot-air balloon and wrote something to say. But the day before, we had done a food tour, and I got food poisoning. So we’re up in the air, and Kelli’s saying these romantic things to me and I was green with nausea.
Kelli: Then we came back and got our ring tattoos at 798.
Having Frankie
Kelli: My mother works in a fertility center in Michigan, so she really helped us through the process. Even though we could have done it without her, it was nice to have her guide us. It was good to see how common it was because there was always a line at the clinic.
Elizabeth: I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom and be pregnant. Pregnancy is just so fascinating to me. It’s so incredible that you’re growing a human!
Kelli: I’m not as enthusiastic as she is but I want to try for the next one.
What’s the most romantic thing she’s ever done?
Elizabeth: Maybe I’m boring but it’s the way she takes care of us, like packing my lunch and cooking dinner every night. It’s not some grand gesture but the little day-to-day stuff.
Kelli: For me, I think it’s something that she said that’s the most romantic. I like to do races–
Elizabeth: She’s being humble! She’s an incredible athlete. She does triathlons, like the Ironman.
Kelli: –and she said, “I’ll always be there at the finish line.” To me, that meant more than just the physical presence. It’s the support that she provides.
Hearing Elizabeth and Kelli’s story made me go “aww” several times. At no point in time did they feel the need to put any labels on their relationship. Their no-frills romance is that of the humble yet miraculous love story based on a consistent and constant partnership. Theirs is the modern-day fairy-tale, and a love story that we can all aspire to.
KEEP READING: QiXi Love Stories: From the Moment They Met, They Knew It Was Love
Images courtesy of Elizabeth Tucker.
