Jack: We met the old fashioned way, at a bar. I spent the obligatory couple of hours building up my Dutch courage, during which time an entire rugby team had closed in on where Marta was sitting. I managed to push through and hold out a hand to her, which, to my amazement, she took.
Marta: It was the University Sport’s Night – Jack was on the football team, and I was in the ULU Dancesport Society. I spotted Jack but it wasn’t until we were about to leave that he asked me to dance. He spent most of the time standing on my toes, and his friend Geordie Joe kept stumbling by and giving him the thumbs up…
Jack: I knew there was a spark right way. Marta only took six months to convince.
Marta: I had so many things going on at university that I didn’t have much time to think about boys. By coincidence, we both spent the summer in Spain and when we returned to London we finally went on a date. We spent all afternoon in Hyde Park, then stopped at a bookshop in Soho that I absolutely loved. The date finished with dinner at Nando’s! We’ve been inseparable since then.
Jack: I had Lemon & Herb chicken, but even that didn’t put her off.
Marta: There are so many places that hold precious memories for us at King’s, especially the Maughan Library, where we seemed to live during the exam season, and the Open Learning Centre, where I worked and Jack would bring me a packed lunch.
Jack: We spent our third year living in Bermondsey. We had a lot of work to catch up on during exams, so we used to get up early and walk along the river to the Maughan Library, often making the return journey after midnight. We seemed to have the whole city to ourselves.
Marta: Jack’s proposal was incredibly romantic; he surprised me on our anniversary with dinner and a midnight walk along the Thames. Half way across Millennium Bridge, Jack said he had to tie his shoes and suddenly he was kneeling with a gorgeous ring in his hands. I said yes immediately. We were going to Jack’s parents in the morning – or so I thought – so we ran back home through the rain. He actually took me to the airport for a romantic week in Sardinia instead – unforgettable!
Jack: I did book a swanky restaurant, but had to work late and lost the reservation, so we ended up in Jamie’s Italian. I forgot to correct Marta when she assumed it was Jamie himself in the kitchen.
Marta: We then had a magical, traditional two-day Polish wedding near Warsaw, with family and friends from 15 different countries.
Jack: A lot of King’s friends flew over to join us. The look on their (slightly green) faces when they arrived at breakfast the following morning to find bottles of vodka on the table is a particularly fond memory. We then returned to London and did the whole “working in the City” thing for two years, but we hated how little we saw of each other, so now we live in the forest in Poland, with two puppies. Marta has set up her own wellness company, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have my first novel, The Rule, published by HarperVoyager.
Marta: We’ve only been married three years, so we’re not marriage experts, but I think that any relationship requires work.
Jack: It’s important to support your partner as they pursue their dreams, and if you have joint goals then so much the better. At the same time, I think it’s good to reminisce, so you never lose sight of why you’re together.
Marta: I agree with Jack about the goals and dreams – but you should also have fun together. I think Jack and I have plenty of that.