(Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)
By Amanda Blas, Staff Writer -- blas13@up.edu
Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, and Lancelot and Guinevere are epic tales of true love, but Molly Hiro and Lars Larson, two professors in the English department, have these love stories beat.
They met in September 1996 while working on their doctorates at UCLA. The two first encountered each other because of their mutual love of hiking, but it was their differences in personality that really started their love story.
"I'm an extrovert and he's an introvert," Hiro said.
At first, outgoing Hiro mistook Larson's quiet demeanor as a lack of interest.
"I think he was just intimidated by this person strongly coming on to him," Hiro said.
However, after backpacking in Arizona together, Hiro got to see Larson at his best in what she calls his natural element, and she decided to take another chance on him. They spent eight months getting to know each other, and in April, they started dating.
"By the spring, I could tell this was the one," Larson said.
In 2000, the couple tied the knot, and followed up their love story with two kids and jobs together in the UP English department.
Though the two have a love as beautiful as a sonnet, Valentine's Day just isn't their thing.
"We don't really do Valentine's Day," Hiro said. "When you're as old as us, it's the date you try to avoid. It's too forced."
But that doesn't mean the two don't enjoy a romantic time out together on any other day.
"Every couple of weeks when we can get a babysitter, we try to make those date nights our Valentine's Days," Larson said.
So what advice does this literary couple have for young people?
Looking at their relationship, the two encourage couples to embrace each others' differences, just as they did.
"Let go and let the other person be who he or she is. It makes everyone happy," Hiro said. "You can't force yourselves to be the same."
They also encourage couples to value trust when it comes to relationships.
"Find someone you can trust," Larson said. "It's the biggest thing you can do."
- Amanda Blas
(Photo submitted by Molly Hiro and Lars Larson)
