In 1959, a mutual friend wanted Miriam Cruz and Oscar Colon, then acting students in New York City, to appear together in a scene. They were supposed to meet in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater, but Oscar was late.
They ended up at Hector's, a restaurant on Broadway.
"The moment I sat down, there was an electricity," she says.
"There was magic about me, right?" he asks. They both laugh.
They didn't end up doing the scene together.
"But we got married, which is even better," Oscar says.
When Oscar went into the Army, he would receive three or four letters a day from Miriam. Oscar's Army buddies kidded him about getting so much mail.
"Oscar is a special being," Miriam says. "He is a little impatient..."
"Impetuous," he adds.
She says he behaves like he never had a youth. "He's like a baby, and that's what I love about him."
Oscar describes Miriam as a "good and giving person — much more giving than I ... because you love people."
"Oscar, you've given me your time, your ears, you always paid attention to the kids. I was always running around doing my acting. You did more for the kids than I did.... You had the special ability ... of stopping whatever you were doing — you could have been in a big meeting — you would stop and listen to me and the kids."
"Saintly, I would say," Oscar adds.
"Yes, to marry me, you have to be a saint," Miriam says as they both laugh.
Both 70, they will celebrate their 44th anniversary next month.
Produced for Morning Edition by Katie Simon. The senior producer for StoryCorps is Michael Garofalo.
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