A lot of stories have been written about British national Hazel Andrea Stuart’s life and career. She was a British warden, singer, a college professor, filmmaker, and someone who really does good television documentaries.
But one thing that stuck with me when we met one late Saturday afternoon was her love story. She told it to me with so much excitement and the glimmer in her eyes told me they were all true.
In college, we used to go to our friends home in Parañaque City during our free time or days to bake chocolate cake, have lunch, and watch Disney’s Beauty and the Beast over and over again.
The chocolate cake was for the girls we were courting and the movie was because we believe that even if our hearts would get broken, true love in our hearts and minds exist. Yes people, we were hopeless romantics. Well, I guess mostly hopeless when it came to girls at that time.
I love happy endings even if Don Henley would sing that we have been poisoned by fairytales. That is why I could not help but smile and my mind was visualizing every detail of Hazel’s love story.
I might not be able to tell you accurately the chronology of Hazel’s love story but, maybe, I can let you in emotionally on how it was like.
Remember the movie Sleepless in Seattle? That is also one of my all time favorite movies. That was a time when a lot of great movies came out. Remember at the start of the movie when Tom Hanks character Sam Baldwin was being interviewed in a radio program?
Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?
Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together…and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home…only to no home I’d ever known…I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like…magic.
Yes, Hazel’s love story was like, magic. She told me it was love at first sight for her. Only at that time, American David Stuart, the object of her love, was very much married and had three children.
She was then a professor at the London College of Music and was 10 years removed from a previous relationship. They were together then during lunch that was organized by a common friend.
The following year, Hazel was in a concert tour of the US when she found out from Betty, her friend, that David’s wife has passed away.
Then sometime later, Betty arranged a dinner where Hazel and David were both present. Hazel told me that she sat farthest from David so as not to give the wrong impression.
Then time passed by again and this time Betty, according to Hazel, bullied David to travel to Kent in the United Kingdom. It was winter, December 30, and a few days after Christmas.
They met and then at the end of the day, she took him to the train station. She described to me that they walked in the moonlight. However, she said David missed the train. What was supposed to be the 11:15 p.m. last trip left at 9:30 p.m.
So with no other option, David had to stay with Hazel. With her neighbor out on a holiday, she had the key to their house. She took David there to stay for the night.
Hazel said it took them 45 minutes to say goodnight. There was also a long kiss between them. And even with the heater in her neighbor’s home not working, Hazel assured me that nothing beyond the long kiss happened.
Then afterward, they took a train to Saint Paul Cathedral in London. At the final step in the cathedral, David told him that he will take an early retirement from his job Kodak so he could join her in her concert tours.
Then after a pause, David told Hazel: “By the way, will you marry me? I am sorry I have been so slow.”
They got married in Yorkshire Church, had their reception in Oliver Cromwell’s home, and had their honeymoon in Jamaica. In Bob Marley’s voice, you could say that, yes man, they were jamming.
Now if that was not a really feel good love story then your heart might just have already turned into a stone. While I was listening to her story, I felt like a high-school kid again who fell in love for the first time.
And if you guys doubted if her love story ever lasted, well it did. They were happily married for 23 years until he passed away in Iloilo seven years ago.
They started to live in the Philippines permanently since 1998, as David grew up here in the country until he was 14 years old. He was the son of Iloilo’s Central Philippine University first President Dr. Harland Stuart.
During our long afternoon meeting, we also discussed about Remembrance Sunday, Treaty of Armistice, missionaries killed by Japanese soldiers during World War II, and her numerous documentaries.
She is about to complete her 77th documentary which is about the secret life of plants. I will not spoil you with the details but from what she has told me, but it is very much interesting.
Oh, and of all the numerous people she gave copies of her documentaries, only three people have given her thanks including former President Fidel V. Ramos, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, and Rep. Jerry P. Treñas of Iloilo.
Well, Hazel, let me thank you here for the two documentaries you gave me. They very much moved me. I do want you to complete 100 documentaries.
One last thing before I end this. It is from Hazel that I heard, after a long time, someone say the Irish blessing.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Until next week guys.
For comments, suggestions and reactions, I can be reached at raalzona@yahoo.com.