Love Story: Charles and Ingrid Montalbano

Charles Montalbano of Huntington recalls how, at first glance, he and his wife, Ingrid, seemed an unlikely match when they met.

One Sunday evening in 1960 I was leaving the Omaha Diner on Queens Boulevard with my friend when we saw two young women outside. One of them looked like a movie star. I said to her, "Excuse me, Miss, are you in show business?" "Maybe," she coylyreplied, before going inside. Her exotic accent caught my attention, so I forced my friend to wait outside with me until she came out again. Little did I know that she was telling her girlfriend to hurry up and drink her coffee so they could catch up with us.

When they came back outside, I managed to convince Ingrid and her friend that we were nice guys. We all went for a drink nearby. Ingrid had grown up in Vallentuna, a small country village in Sweden, where she sang in her school's youth choir. They performed throughout Sweden, even singing for the royal family. At 19 she traveled alone to New York to work as an au pair. By the time we met she was 26, a hairdresser and lived in Rego Park.

I was 29 and came from a large family in East New York, Brooklyn. My parents had emigrated from Italy, and I took for granted that I would get a job and marry a nice Italian girl. When I was 26, I was drafted into the Army and served from 1956 to 1957. I was stationed in Ulm, Germany, and was exposed to many different people and cultures. My outlook on life changed.

Before we parted that evening, I persuaded Ingrid and her friend to go to a dance with us the following week. I found myself missing her as soon as I left her and realized something special had just happened. I spent the next two years courting her.

On Feb. 17, 1962, we were married. We bought a small house in Valley Stream, where we raised three wonderful daughters. I worked in sales for Ronzoni Macaroni Co., and Ingrid worked nights as a home health aide when the children were older. We eventually moved to Huntington. Ingrid began working in a local bakery, The Well Bread Loaf, and later became one of the owners. Today we have three great sons-in-law and two terrific grandsons.

I retired from Rubin Donnelly in 1992 as an advertising sales account executive. The following year we moved to Florida, prepared to relax in the sun, but were "discovered" by a local photographer who persuaded us to model for his stock photography business.

Missing New York, we moved back to Huntington in 1997. I worked for Pennysaver until 2003 and then founded and published Northern Exposure Magazine from 2004 to 2008.

We're celebrating our 50th anniversary this month with family and friends at Danfords Inn in Port Jefferson. Ingrid and I are as much in love as we were when we first met, and wish our children the same happiness in their marriages.