High school sweethearts who got back together decades after graduation
If you still regret breaking up with your high school sweetheart — or mourn the fact that you never told the object of your affection how you really felt back then, take heart. A second chance may be the cards.
Just ask these four couples, who after years apart, finally found love with the one who got away.
A high school proposal — 25 years later
The couple: Robyn Schneider and Michael Fleischman, both 43, of Hoboken, New Jersey. Robyn is an attorney and Mike works in digital advertising.
How they met: Robyn and Mike were students at Clarkstown North High School where Robyn was a grade ahead of Mike — and he was hopelessly in love with her. He even penned an essay for his 10th grade English class about her.
“I didn’t play hard to get, which did not work in my favor,” he jokes.
“We were best friends and I just didn’t think of him that way,” says Robyn. “He was inexperienced and kind of annoying.”
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How they reconnected: The both went on to college and lost touch but friended each other on Facebook in 2008. When Mike’s mother died four years later, Robyn sent him a message expressing her condolences.
A month later they met for drinks.
“We picked up right where we left off,” says Robyn.
“Seeing her made me realize there was something else out there for me,” admits Mike, who was in an unhappy marriage at the time.
Soon after, he separated from his wife and he and Robyn went on a real date. Six months later, they were living together.
Where they are now: Mike proposed to Robyn where it all began — on the steps of Clarkstown North — and they were married this past September. (Around 20 of their high school classmates were guests at their wedding.)
“We’re like the same person,” says Robyn. “We have the same interests, we love to cook, we love to travel, we get along really well. It’s just easy.”
Relationship rules to live by: “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” says Mike. “And when you do, go back and reread your vows. You’ll forget the small stuff.”
They broke up after prom
The couple: BJ and Monika Dellolio of Nyack. BJ, 38, is a shop manager for an event and production management company and Monika, 36, is a stay at home mom.
How they met: BJ and Monika saw each other at a play at Pearl River High School, where Monika was a junior. A few weeks later, they started dating.
“He was adorable,” says Monika, of BJ, then a senior at Nyack High School. “But I had never dated anyone before and I had no idea what I was doing. I couldn’t fully appreciate him at the time.”
They went out for almost a year — and even went to prom together — until Monika broke up with BJ, who was headed to SUNY New Paltz that fall, at the end of the school year.
“She dumped me on her front steps on graduation night,” BJ recalls.
How they reconnected: Monika attended college in Massachusetts, dated a slew of “bad boys” and lived out of state until 2012. BJ was in a long-term relationship, but the two had kept in touch sporadically through the years.
Around the time that Monika moved back to the area, BJ’s grandmother was battling Alzheimer’s and his family was looking for someone to help with her care. “I knew Monika was back in town and needed a job, so I suggested that my mom give her a call,” says BJ.
As a result, the two saw each other more regularly and realized they still had a connection. “I broke up with my then boyfriend and told BJ to call me if he was ever single,” says Monika. A short time later, BJ ended his long-term relationship. Nine months later, they were engaged.
Where they are now: Married since 2013, BJ and Monika now have two children, Taylor, 3, and Joey, seven months. “He’s always brought out the best in me,” says Monika. “Everyone knew I’d end up with him, I just needed to do some life learning before I realized that, too.”
Relationship rules to live by: “True love develops and changes over the course of a lifetime. What matters most is the friendship, who sticks by your side no matter what, and who encourages you to be the best version of yourself,” says Monika. Adds BJ: “It also helps to learn the words, ‘Yes, dear.’”
Crush becomes serious at 25th reunion
The couple: Jennifer DuBrul, 45, a full-time mom and board member of several nonprofit organizations, and Derek Foster, 45, a director of business development for a Spanish Quartz company. They now live in Tuxedo Park.
How they met: Jennifer and Derek both attended Milton Academy, in Milton, Massachusetts as boarding students. “I had a huge crush on Jennifer but I was clueless how to act on it,” remembers Derek.
“One night, there was an open house at school where the girls were allowed in the boys’ dorm. I thought that was my chance, until my closest friend, who also had a massive crush on Jennifer, walked in and ruined it,” he laughs.
“He was very shy,” recalls Jennifer. “We were good friends. I didn’t even consider dating anyone that nice!”
How they reconnected: Jennifer and Derek lost touch after high school and both went on to marry other people. In 2008, they became friends on Facebook and chatted occasionally about their children (she has two girls, he has two boys).
By the time their 25th high school reunion rolled around in 2015, Jennifer was divorced and Derek, who lived in Colombia with his family, was separated from his wife. When he found out on Facebook that Jennifer, whom he had continued to think about over the years, was going to the reunion, he booked a flight to Boston.
“The minute we saw each other it was just electric,” he says. “He walked in and I thought, ‘Oh I missed the boat,’” she says. “I left that night thinking, ‘If only…’”
Several months later, Derek, now divorced, was living in Virginia, and he drove to New York to take Jennifer on a date. The couple continued their long distance relationship for more than a year before Derek made the move to Tuxedo Park.
Where they are now: Last September, Derek proposed to Jennifer at a spot overlooking Tuxedo Lake while they were walking their dog. They’re set to wed in August.
“Sometimes I don’t believe this is really happening,” says Jennifer. “I look at him and I think, ‘It’s really you!’’ And that friend who deep-sixed Derek’s dorm room desire? “He’s a minister now,” says Jennifer. “We’re considering asking him to marry us.”
Chance meeting re-unites Clarkstown theater couple
The couple: Danielle Merril and Josh Sternlicht, both 43, of Los Angeles. Danielle works in field marketing and Josh is a voice-over artist and works at a start-up company.
How they met: Danielle and Josh performed in plays together at Clarkstown North High School in New City. ("Princess and the Pea" and "Bye, Bye, Birdie" to be exact.) “We weren’t in the same social circle but we really liked each other,” recalls Josh.
“He would drive me home from play practice sometimes, and even though I had a boyfriend and he had a girlfriend, I would think, ‘Maybe he’ll try to kiss me,’” says Danielle. “It was very exciting.”
It never happened!
How they reconnected: A decade after graduation, they were both living in Los Angeles when Josh randomly walked into Finn McCool’s — where Danielle was a bartender — looking for a job. “I was like, ‘Sternlicht?’” Danielle says.
“And he said, ‘Merril?’” He didn’t get the job and they didn’t start dating, but they’d meet for an occasional coffee and literally ran into each other on the Santa Monica Stairs, a popular outdoor workout spot. (Josh was there with his girlfriend.)
Though they hadn’t been in touch for several months, when Josh turned 34, he invited Danielle to his birthday party — and was surprised when she showed up.
“I just had a gut instinct to go to his party,” Danielle says. Josh asked her if she was dating anyone (she wasn’t) and a month later they finally hung out for real. “We sat on the couch watching TV and cuddled,” says Josh. “It felt like we did this all the time.”
Where they are now: After dating for four years, Josh proposed to Danielle by taking her on a scavenger hunt of all the key places they went to before and during their relationship. This March, they’ll celebrate their fourth anniversary.
Relationship rules to live by: “It’s better to come to a fight with empathy, compassion and love rather than with bottled up frustration and anger. If that means taking a break from one another in the middle of an argument to regain your composure so you can see the fight from a calmer place, then do so,” says Josh. “And of course, laugh. Laughing together is very important.”
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