It was 2005 and senior year of High School when I first saw a glimpse of Sumra. It was an extremely busy but dignifying year for me; deciding between colleges; writing my class speech; organizing end of the year activities such as prom and graduation; trying to pave a path for my future, etc. There was no time to chase after girls! Especially, with the huge unknown of what was yet to come. One of the extracurricular activities that meant a lot to me was Operation Smile (a charity to help children in third world countries with life threatening face deformities). My school, Lawrence High, would do a combined auction with Hopewell High every year to raise funds for the organization. I was treasurer so I knew most of the people in our club, however senior year's auction I spotted someone I've never seen, a "brown girl" from the other high school! She was on stage and in charge of auctioning off all the bigger ticket items. We glanced at each other a couple times but I never figured out who she was or got a chance to meet her. Fast forward 2 months later, I'm at my friends post prom party with some kids from Hopewell. Of course the curious person that I am (still thinking about that girl I saw), I ask a couple people if they know any "brown girls" that go to their school. Instantly, my friend's prom date knows who she is! She says, "There’s only one brown girl in Operation Smile, and oh my god I know her!" Like any other guy, I asked if she could introduce me to her. She said she'd give her my AIM screen name (YES, AOL Instant Messenger! Haha). Over the course of the next couple weeks, Sumra and I became acquaintances. The more I talked to her, the more I discovered we had a lot in common (she was class president too!). We have been friends ever since. Going through college together and now her entire medical school career, I've really come to discover the amazing person that she is. I can't believe how random it was for us to just glance at each other at an Operation Smile event, meet each other through a friend just by chance, and end up getting married! P.S. for the record, she gave me her number first! =P (It's an inside joke!).
Now, the rest is HERstory.