He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, with many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal and nobody paid attention to him.
At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to politeness, she promised.
They sat in a nice coffee shop; he was too nervous to say anything. She felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me go back home... suddenly, he asked the waiter: could you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee. Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously: why do you have this hobby?
He replied: when I was a little boy, I was living near the sea; I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, salty and biting, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I will think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who still living there. Saying that, tears filled his eyes.
She was deeply touched. That was his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who could say out that he was homesick must be a man who loved home, cared about home, had a sense of responsibility to home. Then she also started to talk; she talked about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family.
That was a really nice talk, a beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date. She found actually he was a man who met all her demands: he was tolerant, kind hearted, warm, careful.. he was such a good guy, but she had almost missed out on knowing him, if not for his salty coffee.
The story was just like every beautiful love story: the princess eventually married the prince, and they were living a happy life... and every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that was the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: my dearest, please forgive me, forgive my lie to you. This was the only lie I said to you - the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, that actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt.
It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you about anything... now I'm dying, I'm afraid of nothing so I'm telling you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste... but I have drunk the salty coffee for my whole life since I knew you and I have never felt sorry for anything I did for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you as my wife, even if I have to drink the salty coffee again.
Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her: what's the taste of salty coffee?
She replied: it's sweet.
Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in its practice. and togetherness is far more than just a word. sometimes, it's a hope, a dream, and - maybe - a way of life.