Love Story: Their short courtship has made for a long marriage

Cindy Rodefeld from Ronkonkoma talks about meeting her husband, Eric.

I was working at a new position at the front desk at Nature's Bounty, a vitamin manufacturer in Bohemia. It was July 1988. I was 28 and my name was Cindy Schneberger. I had been in an abusive relationship five years earlier and had dated only sporadically since. I was convinced I would always be single.

That thinking started to change the afternoon a guy with amazing eyes and the kindest smile I’d ever seen walked into the lobby. I asked my co-worker who he was. She said his name was Eric and that he delivered the interoffice mail twice a day. I was immediately very much "in like"! Eric and I started talking every morning. After I dropped all kinds of hints and was ready to give up, he finally asked me out.

We made a date for that Saturday and went to the movies. We had coffee afterward at a diner in Sayville that is no longer there. He told me he was the oldest of five and had lost his dad three years earlier and his mom one year earlier. He shared an apartment in Patchogue with a brother.

Eric and I were dating for about a month when he told me he wanted to propose to me but felt stupid because we’d been dating only a short time. But I told him, ”When the right person comes along, you know it!” He ended up proposing to me at a traffic light in the middle of Sayville a month later. He said that if he didn’t ask me then, he might never get the nerve up again.

We were married April 28, 1990, at St. Lawrence the Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Sayville. The reception was at the Holiday Inn in Ronkonkoma. We honeymooned on a cruise to the Western Caribbean and moved into a small apartment in Ronkonkoma when we returned. We bought our current home in Ronkonkoma in 1998.

Unfortunately, Eric and I could never have children; instead, we love and care for our furry friends — one dog and three cats. We have a nice circle of friends and family with whom we socialize, but Eric and I enjoy quiet evenings at home. Eric is a sports fan and enjoys watching games on TV while I’m usually nearby reading a book or using my iPad.

Eric continued working at Nature’s Bounty, where he was in charge of the mail distribution system among several buildings. He retired in 2015. I still work there as a customer service agent and also have a part-time job at the Connetquot Public Library, where I am a circulation clerk. Eric and I love Broadway shows, roller coasters, going to Islanders and Yankees games and, most of all, traveling. Our favorite trip so far is a cruise around the Galápagos Islands that ended with a land tour of Peru.

My only regret in life is that I didn’t meet Eric 10 year earlier. I always prayed that if I was meant to marry, I would marry someone exactly like my dad, which Eric is. He’s the kindest person I know and never has anything bad to say about anyone. With his always-smiling face, he is my best friend.

We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in April. Instead of the tour of Japan that we had booked, we got takeout from Outback Steakhouse in Holbrook! The trip to Japan is now planned for 2021.

— With Ann Donahue-Smukler