Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/162483
S ixteen-year-old Sharon Khabra had just gotten out of a relationship, so she certainly wasn't expecting to meet her future husband on a night out at with her friend Wendy and the girls. But Keith George, who was also friends with Wendy, happened to be at the same nightspot that evening. When he ran into Wendy, he couldn't help but notice the young woman at her side with the big beautiful eyes. By the end of the evening, Keith had asked Wendy to pass his phone number to Sharon. "A week later, Wendy asked if I had called him," Sharon recalls. "I told her 'No, I'm not interested.' " Still, Keith continued to call Wendy to ask if Sharon was ever going to phone him. His persistence paid off. Finally, on a day when Sharon was over, Wendy asked Keith to stop by. "He came and we ended up talking all night," Sharon recalls. "We found we had so much in common." They soon became close friends hanging out together for most of the following year. One afternoon, Keith picked up Sharon after school and asked her how she felt about their relationship. "I don't know what you want from me," he said, "but I just want to be with you." Over the conversation, they acknowledged their feelings and made a commitment to each other. They dated for more than a decade. Sharon studied to be a registered nurse and Keith worked for a steel company. By 2010, Sharon had completed her studies and was working at BC Women's Hospital. "We'd been together a long time by now," Sharon says. "All my friends and cousins were getting married. Everyone was asking, 'When are you going to get married?' So the pressure was on." One evening after a long nightshift, Sharon went to Keith's place. "He wanted to go out, but I was so tired, I kept falling asleep," she says. "He seemed anxious, but I told him all I wanted to do was sleep." She promptly dozed off but awoke to find Keith staring at her. "What's going on?" she asked. Keith said, "I love you and I couldn't live without you. You are the only one I want to be with." And, with that, Keith asked Sharon to share her life with him as his wife. At first they were relaxed about their engagement and in no hurry to tie the knot. "We didn't start planning anything until the end of 2010," Sharon admits. "By that time, friends and family were telling us that we should get going." No doubt Sharon works well under pressure — within six months she had planned the entire wedding. The ceremony was set for July 23. "By February most of the big items like the venue, photography, videography and the reception p36-45_Our Story Worth Wait.indd 41 Right: Worried that she hadn't eaten, Sharon's grandmother fed her some banana before they set off for the ceremony. Middle: That morning, Sharon's uncle gave her a token depicting the Hindu god Ganesh ("the lord of new beginnings," explains Sharon), which she held close all day. Bottom: Keith grew a beard for the ceremony, in accordance with Sikh tradition. Sharon recalls, "My grandma would inspect his beard each time she saw him as we got closer to the wedding." 4/24/12 3:01:09 PM