Since the StoryCorps app was introduced last year, there is one consistent theme that has been explored by users—love. Time and again, young people have sat with their parents and grandparents and asked them about their relationships. “How did you meet grandma/grandpa?” “How did mom/dad propose to you?” “Tell me about your wedding day.” “Where did you go on your honeymoon?” And when someone has experienced loss, “What do you miss most about her/him?”
These questions have proven to be universal, and for Valentine’s Day, we want to share a few fun pieces of audio that we have recently heard from people using the app to interview loved ones about love.
“Young love in Jamaica to 24 years in America”
Listen as Erin Bailey, 16, interviews her parents about their first impressions of each other. Her mother found her father to be “too much,” while he claims she “was just head over heels” over him—a description that causes Erin’s mother to begin to choke.
In their full interview, Erin asks her parents to describe their marriage proposal, an event that took place in a family car. Uncharacteristically, they both become coy, dropping hints but choosing to share fewer details about what was going on in the vehicle.
Click here to hear their full interview.
“The Man In The Plaid Pants”
Listen as Taylor Alda, 17, interviews her grandmother, Bonnie Scott, about how her grandparents met. Bonnie was a part-time waitress when Taylor’s grandfather came to the restaurant on a date with another woman. After repeatedly asking her out, Bonnie eventually agreed to a date, but things did not begin well that evening when he showed up wearing plaid pants and a striped shirt—a look described by Bonnie as “quite embarrassing.”
In their full interview, Erin asks about her grandparents’ first kiss, which “wasn’t really great,” and Bonnie explains why her late husband proposed to her after they both had agreed to live together and not get married.
Click here to hear their full interview.
“A Wife’s Love”
Listen as a mother/daughter—also acting as translators—interview their mother/grandmother who lives in Hyderabad, India. The mother/grandmother explains that her husband (a man the granddaughter never met before he died) was planning on becoming a priest before they met but once he saw her, he “got diverted.” Describing their honeymoon, the grandmother talks about the couple’s naivety at the time, asking, “What is honey, and what is moon?”
In their full interview, the grandmother shares some of her happiest memories of her time with her late husband, like when they would lay in their twin bed together and tell each other stories.
Click here to hear their full interview.
Click here to get the StoryCorps app and start interviewing those you love.