Beauty and the Bello

Summary

Podcast Summary: For Love and Chocolate – Episode: Beauty and the Bello

Title: Beauty and the Bello
Hosts: Tommy and Tara Gallop
Guests: Hooman and Maria Maboobi
Release Date: October 15, 2024

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Introduction and Celebrating Success

The episode begins with the charismatic hosts, Tommy and Tara Gallop, celebrating the continued success of their podcast, For Love and Chocolate. They express gratitude towards their listeners and share exciting milestones.

• Tara Gallop: “We are feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good, aren't we?” (00:40)
• Tommy Gallop: “We just crossed 100,000 downloads.” (01:19)

They highlight the diverse international audience, mentioning listeners from Bulgaria, Romania, London, Hungary, Helsinki, Thailand, and Cambodia, attributing their growth to the universal appeal of their uplifting content.

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A Heartwarming Customer Story

Introducing their daughter, Marley, the hosts segue into a touching customer interaction that underscores the podcast’s theme of love and meaningful connections.

• Tommy Gallop: “Sentimental O. I'm going on a sentimental journey.” (02:50)

Marley shares a poignant story about an older man named Hooman who visited their chocolate shop after a life-threatening surgery. His reflections on enduring love, memories tied to the shop, and the emotional connection he felt are deeply moving.

• Hooman Maboobi: “He started to tear up, and we started to tear up, and it was just a really beautiful moment.” (04:10)
• Tara Gallop: “There's something about a Chocolate shop like ours that just makes them feel like they're in a safe space for that.” (05:28)

This segment highlights the power of place and shared experiences in fostering heartfelt connections.

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Introducing Hooman and Maria Maboobi

The podcast transitions to introduce the main guests of the episode, Hooman and Maria Maboobi, detailing their backgrounds and achievements.

• Tommy Gallop: “Hooman Maboobi has been a leading authority in Los Angeles commercial real estate for over 20 years.” (06:28)
• Tara Gallop: “Maria graduated from Loyola Marymount University summa cum laude with a major in communications and marketing.” (07:00)

Their longstanding relationship with For Love and Chocolate and the community is emphasized, setting the stage for their personal love story.

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The Beginnings of Love: Meeting at Il Pastaio

Hooman and Maria recount how their paths first crossed in 1995 at Il Pastaio, a renowned restaurant in Beverly Hills. Their initial friendship blossomed into romance, marked by meaningful conversations and mutual respect.

• Maria Maboobi: “I felt a connection that never felt with anyone.” (10:10)
• Tommy Gallop: “Bello.” (10:00)

They describe their first date, the emotional rollercoaster of early interactions, and the gradual deepening of their bond despite initial hurdles.

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Navigating Relationships and Personal Growth

The couple discusses the challenges they faced, including Maria's initial relationship with Greg and the complexities of maintaining a genuine connection amidst external pressures.

• Maria Maboobi: “I wasn't going out to date just to date. I was ready to meet my husband.” (28:00)
• Tommy Gallop: “You were protecting your heart. Is that what was happening?” (29:33)

Marley shares the pivotal moment when she had to set boundaries to preserve her authentic self, leading to a heartfelt reassessment of their friendship.

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Divine Intervention and Rekindling Love

A serendipitous moment occurs when Maria discovers an old answering machine message from Hooman, prompting Marley to reach out. This rekindles their connection, leading to a series of meaningful interactions that solidify their romantic relationship.

• Hooman Maboobi: “Five and a half years passed, and she had broken up.” (22:00)
• Marley: “It was like a gut shot in your stomach.” (13:48)

The couple narrates their journey from rekindled friendship to a committed relationship, overcoming cultural and familial challenges along the way.

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Overcoming Cultural and Religious Barriers

Hooman and Maria delve into the cultural and religious dynamics that influenced their relationship. Maria's conversion to Judaism and their mutual exploration of spirituality through Kabbalah are highlighted as pillars that strengthened their bond.

• Maria Maboobi: “I converted. All of these things were really beautiful, forming the foundations of our relationship.” (38:25)
• Marley: “I believe in one's soul, one's essence, one's heart.” (30:08)

They discuss the importance of understanding and respecting each other's backgrounds, emphasizing love and spirituality as unifying forces.

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Engagement and Familial Acceptance

The story reaches a turning point with Hooman’s heartfelt proposal. Despite initial resistance from Hooman’s family, Maria’s unwavering support and their mutual commitment lead to familial acceptance and a joyous engagement celebration.

• Marley: “I took her hand and held it... I give her a peck right on the lips.” (27:12)
• Maria Maboobi: “We went on the journey the couple years before we got married. It was the best time of our lives.” (33:39)

Their engagement in Ecuador and subsequent family gatherings illustrate the triumph of love over societal expectations and cultural differences.

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Keys to a Lasting Relationship

In the concluding segment, Tommy and Tara Gallop draw insights from Hooman and Maria's story, discussing the essential elements that sustain a loving and enduring relationship.

• Tara Gallop: “Appreciation is a huge component.” (46:25)
• Marley Gallop: “Love and laughter, that's the remedy and panacea to anything and everything.” (46:48)

Maria highlights the role of humor and lightness, while Marley emphasizes appreciation, respect, and mindfulness as foundational to their enduring love.

• Maria Maboobi: “Having two different bathrooms helps a lot as well.” (46:25)

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Conclusion and Reflections

The hosts reflect on the inspiring love story shared by Hooman and Maria, expressing renewed appreciation for long-lasting love and affirming the podcast's mission to celebrate such connections.

• Tommy Gallop: “My appreciation for long lasting love deepens. And I love you a little bit more.” (47:01)
• Marley Gallop: “Love and laughter. The two Ls. L squared.” (47:07)

The episode wraps up with heartfelt thanks to the guests and a promise of more engaging stories in future episodes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Tommy Gallop: “We just crossed 100,000 downloads.” (01:19)
• Tara Gallop: “There's something about a Chocolate shop like ours that just makes them feel like they're in a safe space for that.” (05:28)
• Hooman Maboobi: “He started to tear up, and we started to tear up, and it was just a really beautiful moment.” (04:10)
• Maria Maboobi: “I felt a connection that never felt with anyone.” (10:10)
• Marley Gallop: “Love and laughter, that's the remedy and panacea to anything and everything.” (46:48)
• Tommy Gallop: “Sentimental O. I'm going on a sentimental journey.” (02:50)

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Final Thoughts

Episode "Beauty and the Bello" of For Love and Chocolate masterfully intertwines personal anecdotes, heartfelt stories, and profound insights into love and relationships. Through the inspiring journey of Hooman and Maria Maboobi, listeners are reminded of the power of connection, resilience, and the sweet essence of enduring love—all complemented by the delightful backdrop of fine Swiss chocolate.

For more heartwarming stories and delectable chocolate discussions, subscribe to For Love and Chocolate and join Tommy and Tara Gallop on their journey celebrating love in all its forms.

Transcript

[Mr. Truffles]

From deep in the heart of Beverly Hills, you found for Love and chocolate with Mr. And Mrs. Truffles.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Well, welcome back to the podcast, everybody.

[Mr. Truffles]

Welcome back, everyone.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Welcome to Love and Chocolates.

[Mr. Truffles]

Top of the morning to you, Mrs. Travis.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Top of the morning and top of the charts, baby.

[Mr. Truffles]

Oh, top of the charts. I don't like to toot my own horn.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Go ahead, baby, toot away.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah. Well, in case you haven't been following the podcast charts, and who doesn't? And who doesn't, we have consistently been top 40 comedy podcasts, sometimes cracking top 30. Uh huh.

[Marley]

On Apple. Yeah.

[Mr. Truffles]

So we are feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good, aren't we?

[Mrs. Truffles]

Yeah. Thank you guys, everyone who listens and supports our little podcast.

[Mr. Truffles]

Appreciate it. I mean, I think when we first started we had like five or six people listening in a day and most.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Of them were our relatives.

[Mr. Truffles]

They had our last names for the most part. But we just crossed 100,000 downloads.

[Mrs. Truffles]

I think that's significant.

[Mr. Truffles]

That's pretty good. And a lot of them are coming from Bulgaria and Romania of all places.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Yeah. And London.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah.

[Mrs. Truffles]

And Hungary.

[Mr. Truffles]

They still love us in Helsinki.

[Mrs. Truffles]

And Thailand.

[Mr. Truffles]

And Thailand. Cambodia.

[Mrs. Truffles]

But we had some Thai customers who came into the shop and we gave them the podcast cards. The next thing you know, we see listeners.

[Mr. Truffles]

We're huge in Pattaya. Pattaya. No, there's. Yeah.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Anyway, I think one of the reasons our little show kind of like resonates with people is because it's just, it's just a happy place to be. You know, there's enough podcasts out there that are politics.

[Marley]

Murder.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Oh, the murder thing is big murder.

[Mr. Truffles]

No, it's true. I mean, if you can kind of just step away, it's a little bit of an escape, isn't it?

[Mrs. Truffles]

It's a little bit of a happy place to visit whenever you're in the mood for some happiness and some joy and some sentimental feelings. And we have talked about our daughter Marley a little bit on the show. She works with us in the shop.

[Mr. Truffles]

Princess Praline.

[Mrs. Truffles]

We call her Princess Praline sometimes, sometimes we just call her brat.

[Mr. Truffles]

That's right. Just whenever she's not around.

[Mrs. Truffles]

And she had a little experience this week that was very moving, very sweet customer who came in and we thought it might be kind of lovely to let Marley come in and share this in her own words.

[Marley]

Yeah, we did.

[Mr. Truffles]

So does that mean it's time?

[Mrs. Truffles]

I think you know what time it is.

[Mr. Truffles]

Sentimental O Sentimental O. I'm going on a sentimental journey.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Well, welcome Princess Praline.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yes, Mar, this is your big debut. We're very excited for you.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Yes, we've talked about you many times on this show. It's about time you got in here.

[Mr. Truffles]

Don't be nervous, little bird. It's going to be okay.

[Mrs. Truffles]

All right, Marley, well, tell us about the wonderful, sweet customer that was so moving to you. I mean, this is part of the impetus for this podcast. We're just the sweet experiences we have in the store with our customers. I mean, that was the whole inspiration. So tell us what happened for you this week.

[Hooman Maboobi]

What happened this week was yesterday. This sweet older man comes in, and he was just a few days out of the hospital. He had some major surgery. He'd almost died multiple times. And he's flying back home soon. But he wanted to come to Teuther because he lived in New York for many years. He lived in la, you know, Switzerland was very important to him, and he was driving around to the city, you know, while he's in LA for the surgery, to all the places that were really meaningful to him. He went by the place where he met his wife, the place where they fell in love places.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Where was that, did he say?

[Hooman Maboobi]

He said it was by some cherry trees. I don't know where that was. But he also. That came up later because he said that the cherry tree in our front window almost brought him to tears because it was so. It felt so perfect to him. He sort of emphasized that it felt right to be there. That just spread, spending that time with Jacob and I, even though short, he was there for an hour just talking with us, telling us about his life and his children and his beauty. He kept emphasizing they were beautiful, wonderful people he was so proud of and just telling us all their accomplishments and how he still is so madly in love with his wife. And being in the store and seeing the cherry blossoms and being in this place that had meant so much to him over the years and all the places that he had been that he felt that it happened for a reason, that he was there that day. And he started to tear up, and we started to tear up, and it was just a really beautiful moment. We get to be part of so many people's beautiful moments, and I feel really lucky about that.

[Mrs. Truffles]

That is so lovely. I mean, when I came into the store, you were almost in tears telling it to me.

[Hooman Maboobi]

He was just the kindest man. And I am always so surprised at how often people are just looking to open their hearts and share what's important to them with people, strangers.

[Mrs. Truffles]

And there's something about a Chocolate shop like ours that just makes them feel like they're in a safe space for that, you know? And it does. It is such a nostalgic place for so many people.

[Hooman Maboobi]

He said he'd been going there since it was across the street. That actually he had been in Beverly Hills for some reason he couldn't remember. And Aviva had pulled him in off the street and told him to, like, sit down and have a chocolate. Cause he had looked stressed. And he knew. Twice.

[Maria Maboobi]

Sure.

[Hooman Maboobi]

And he couldn't believe that there was one here he didn't know. And ever since then, he felt that that was sort of a, as he said, a miraculous thing. It happened for a reason.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Oh, well, miraculous things usually do. Well, thank you so much for sharing that with us today, punkin. It's so fun to have you in here with us, Princess Praline.

[Hooman Maboobi]

It's fun to finally be in here. You guys spend so much time here. It's nice to see where you've been hiding.

[Mrs. Truffles]

All right, well, we'll see you back at the chocolate shop, sweetie.

[Mr. Truffles]

Okay, Mar. Thanks for coming. And don't forget to flip the open sign. Anyway.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Well, Mr. Troubles, wasn't that lovely to have, Princess Praling?

[Mr. Truffles]

Yes, that was very fun.

[Mrs. Truffles]

So why don't we talk about our guests we have coming on today?

[Mr. Truffles]

I love that idea. Okay, Mrs. Trevils. Well, we have the mahboobies coming. Hooman Maboobi has been a leading authority in Los Angeles commercial real estate for over 20 years. He's on the board of directors for the Beverly Hills Courier, the Rodeo Drive Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Economic Development Committee. A proud husband and father, Human is based in Beverly Hills, an area that is home to his business and community alike. Maria graduated from Loyola Marymount University summa cum laude with a major in communications and marketing. She started her career in public relations and then moved on to marketing and sales and had a successful career in international direct marketing. When Maria started her family in her 30s, she joined her husband working in the world of real estate. Today, she primarily works as a healer and life coach, a busy mother, and a beloved member of the Beverly Hills community. And we'll be sitting with him when we come right back with more for Love and chocolate. For over 40 years, Toysher has been a staple in the Beverly Hills community. Like so many other families in the community, our family has had a longstanding love affair with Teuther chocolates. Over the years, we formed traditions and memories around these extraordinary Swiss chocolates and the enchanting wonderland of fantasy truffle boxes inside our store. Today, our family is proud to be carrying on the Teutscher tradition in Beverly Hills.

[Mrs. Truffles]

All right, well, welcome back.

[Mr. Truffles]

Welcome back, everybody. You know, I don't know about you, Mrs. Truffles, but I have this really warm feeling happening. The kind of. The kind of feeling I have when I'm up next to a fire and I'm sipping hot chocolate. It's just a vibe. It's an energy. And I think it's because of our next guests.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Yeah, I think everyone feels that way when they're with the Maboobies.

[Mr. Truffles]

I think so, too.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Welcome, guys.

[Mr. Truffles]

Welcome.

[Mrs. Truffles]

You too have Maria and Huma Maboobi in studio with us today. Thanks for joining us.

[Maria Maboobi]

Thank you for having us. We're so excited to be here.

[Marley]

Oh, absolutely. It's always a pleasure to share great stories with people.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Maria and Juman are old friends of mine. We usually have old friends of Tommy's, and our daughters grew up together. We've been trying to get them in here for quite some time because they have a beautiful story and we are excited to hear it.

[Mr. Truffles]

We really are.

[Mrs. Truffles]

So let's get into it. How did you two very first meet?

[Marley]

There's a restaurant called Il Pastaio, and it's in the heart of the Beverly Hills triangle.

[Mr. Truffles]

It's on the restaurant row.

[Marley]

That's right on Cannon and Bright Brighton. Back in 1995, when Celestino Drago and his wonderful family started that restaurant, five years into opening that restaurant, his brother Giacomino was coming from Italy to the States for the first time. We became great friends As a result of becoming great friends, we would hang out a lot and go out on weekends. We use the term bello, which means in Italian, love or prince. It's a term of endearment. I said bello. You know, I can't go out this evening because I've got to work, but why don't you come to my restaurant? My. My girlfriend Tara is coming with five of her friends, and I'm like, what am I going to do at the restaurant with five, six girls that I only know your girlfriend? I'm not going to come to your restaurant because, Bello, trust me, I'll be in and out of the kitchen. We'll have a nice dinner, you'll be there, and then we'll all go out together. After that, I decided to go. And of course, one of the five girls that were there was Maria.

[Mr. Truffles]

Bello.

[Marley]

Bello. Exactly.

[Maria Maboobi]

To this day, he calls him that.

[Marley]

Maria and I really had an incredible connection from that first moment.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Tell us about that first moment.

[Marley]

First moment. Well, I love food. It's very hard to take my attention off of food. But on that special evening, all my attention went to Maria. As our eyes locked, I felt a connection that never felt with anyone.

[Mr. Truffles]

Wow. And how old were you at the time?

[Marley]

I was 23.

[Mr. Truffles]

23.

[Marley]

Our eyes locked. Wow. You know, you feel that magic for, like, a quick second.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah.

[Mrs. Truffles]

But what did you think when you first saw Hooman? Were you feeling that little magic when you first met him?

[Maria Maboobi]

So I was just drawn to his kindness. It was one of those things where you're going out with girlfriends, just happy to be there. But he was part of the group, and it was like. And we just had this great conversation.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Do you remember what that conversation was about?

[Maria Maboobi]

I'm pretty sure it was a deep one because we just always went straight into, like. Not a lot of superficial small talk. Yeah.

[Marley]

Spirituality.

[Maria Maboobi]

It must have had to do with just our spiritual paths or something to that effect. And. Yeah. So we ate. The night continued. And then. Yeah.

[Marley]

So a great conversation. And like. Like Maria said, the conversation was very comfortable. You know, when you meet someone and you can totally be yourself and everything flows.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Oh, yeah.

[Marley]

Then you know that. That you feel like you're in the same frequency. Yeah, right. And it's so easy to communicate and discuss things. That's what I felt. So the night continued, and Giacomino, as he did say, he came and went and was the great host and chef that he is, an incredible human being of joy and laughter. He said, okay, guys, it's 11:00, 11:30. The restaurant is slowing down. We're going Century Club to dance. And we're like. To dance. And I was never much into dancing in clubs. It wasn't my thing.

[Mr. Truffles]

This is still the first night that you've met?

[Marley]

Yes, first night. He saw how happy I was. He goes, didn't I tell you you should come here tonight?

[Maria Maboobi]

All of a sudden, the club sounded good.

[Marley]

We ended up going to Century Club in Century City, which at the time was the place to be for dancing and music.

[Mr. Truffles]

What year is this?

[Marley]

19 5.

[Mr. Truffles]

95. 95, okay. See, I wasn't cool enough to go to the century club in 95 anyway. So go on.

[Marley]

We all go to the club. It was like six of us. We hung out a lot with Giacomino and Tara and everyone else. And, you know, you're dancing as a group, you're socializing. Dancing is a very personal thing. So when you feel comfortable dancing with someone, and you're able to really be yourself. That, again, gives you a sense of comfort. Like, you really feel like you're at home. You're in the right place, you're with the right people.

[Maria Maboobi]

Especially when you're not a dancer.

[Marley]

Exactly. I'm a horrible dancer.

[Mr. Truffles]

You're so vulnerable when you're doing those things right. You're burying your soul. You're like, this is me open toga. Here we go. I'm dancing.

[Marley]

I feel naked.

[Mr. Truffles]

Right.

[Maria Maboobi]

It's so interesting. And see, for me, it comes natural. I bet, you know, I'm Latina.

[Mr. Truffles]

You feel naked. You weren't naked.

[Marley]

No, exactly.

[Maria Maboobi]

You feel naked.

[Mr. Truffles]

The fact is, you had your eye on Maria. You're about to do something that's very uncomfortable. And you know that that's not kind of where you live dancing. But you were there, and you're like, I'm just gonna go for it. And I know it go great. But this is who I am.

[Marley]

Right, Exactly. So I feel like I'm in this world, but I wasn't. I felt like it was in a whole different dimension. Being with Maria at that time, it felt so unique and special. And I said, you know what? Why don't we go up on the roof and have a drink and spend some time talking, you know, I loved talking to her. So we went up on the roof. It was a beautiful evening. Even though it was December evening, it was a hot evening in the 70s. So we're talking. I was really diving into getting to know her more. And then, very surprisingly, she said, I just to let you know that I'm already in a relationship. And so all the air was like a gut shot in your stomach.

[Mr. Truffles]

I just felt that for you.

[Marley]

So you paused and you're like, how am I going to react to this? And my reaction was, that's fine. You know what? We can always be friends.

[Mr. Truffles]

Good save. Good save, sir.

[Marley]

And I see that being as comfortable as I am with you and having just met you for a few hours, feeling that I've known you for a very long time, I think we can have a great friendship.

[Mr. Truffles]

Oh, I'm sorry. I got sick to my stomach when he just revealed that.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Okay, it's okay. It turned out all right.

[Mr. Truffles]

It turned out okay.

[Marley]

That's right.

[Mr. Truffles]

But I felt. I really did. I felt for you that moment. I was not expecting that. That was like the twist in the movie.

[Marley]

The twist. Exactly.

[Mr. Truffles]

Wow.

[Marley]

The drama in a great story.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yes.

[Marley]

So she continues to talk, and I'm like, out of curiosity, how long have you been with this gentleman? She like, you know, four or five months. And I said, you're going to give this up? Will we feel tonight for three, four months, five months? That's nothing. That's the infancy stage of anything. I mean, this is beyond that. I mean, this is beyond time, space and motion.

[Mr. Truffles]

What a salesman.

[Marley]

We started laughing and chuckling and all that, which actually made the night even more comfortable. When she told me, that took all the pressure off. Yeah, because you're like, you know what? She's in a relationship. I completely respected that. We continued the evening, and the club closed at 2am and Giacomino, being the great Italian human being that he is, he said, oh, we're now going to my home. I'm going to cook us an Italian meal. We're like, what? You know, after clubs, you're usually hungry.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah, sure.

[Mrs. Truffles]

And you were young, you had all.

[Marley]

The energy, you know, in your early 20s. And you're like, look. And I said to myself, honestly, the more time that I can spend with this incredible person I've just met, whatever I can get to spend time with her and be in her presence, I'll take it.

[Mr. Truffles]

Wow.

[Marley]

So we ended up going to Giacomino's house. We had a great meal. By now, it's like, what, 4, 4:30 in the morning?

[Mr. Truffles]

What?

[Marley]

We drive back, I walk Maria to her car, and I cannot tell you what an incredible evening I had and what a pleasure it's been to meet you. Like I said, this is like divine intervention. And I said, can I ask you for one thing? Can we have coffee together tomorrow? Just a simple cup of coffee? She said, yes, no. And she said, okay, I'll have a cup of coffee with you. I said, do me a favor. When you get home tonight, just call me to let me know you got home safe. The night ended, and the next morning, you can imagine, I woke up, I don't know, like, 11:30, noon. I called her, said, hey, it was great meeting you last night. So are we having coffee together? You know, what time should we have coffee? She goes, I can't have coffee with you.

[Maria Maboobi]

But I'm like, I don't want to give him the wrong impression. So I said, I can't have coffee with you. My boyfriend at the time was coming back. He was traveling that weekend. He was coming back that evening. I don't know if we had plans or not, but I was just. I don't know. I just don't want to get his hopes up. So. So then he convinced me to have Coffee. I said, okay. So at the time I lived in Los Feliz. I said, come meet me over here at this, you know, it's a place that's been there for a long time. It's called the Bourgeois Pig. It's a really fun coffee place with a bookstore next to it. So we went. He says, I was like completely guarded at that point. Just very different than the night before.

[Marley]

Completely guarded. She wouldn't even let me pick her up. She was, I will meet you at the coffee house. Said, no problem. And I see her. She looked great, as you know, the night before. But it's more the energy, obviously, that I see felt something different. I felt that she's now a little apprehensive. She feels a little perhaps uncomfortable. It was a very holistic coffee house where they have incense and they have all these books where you go, you buy a book, you get a cup of coffee, right? Listen to different types of very interesting music. We're in line. I come across this book called Deepak Chopra Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, which is one of my favorite books and a book that I was living by. So I said, you know, something to myself in my mind, I'm saying, I'm not going to probably see her again. Who knows the next time I'm going to see her, she's involved in a relationship. This was a great God given gift to meet her. But I said, perhaps I can share something that's very dear to me. And I said, I'd like to get this book for you and that you can use wherever your journey takes you. Bought her the book. We had. The coffee date ended in less than an hour. And when I left and said, goodbye, kid, you not. I felt like I'd broken up with someone. Like, it was like right into that. Another gut punch, you know, or a heart punch, we can call it.

[Mr. Truffles]

And if I may, it sounds almost like, given that she had first said no and then relented and went out, it felt like maybe she was coming to break up with you.

[Marley]

Exactly.

[Mr. Truffles]

She was guarded.

[Marley]

She was guarded.

[Mr. Truffles]

She was a quick one, you know. Nice to see you.

[Marley]

Nice to see you. All the magic that I felt was like, what happened? What happened? God, I almost questioned myself, like, was this an illusionary thing? Was it, as Shakespeare would say, say, men fall in love with their eyes, women with their ears? I said, did my eyes get in the way? But I know I felt something in my heart and soul. And I said, you never know. Maybe one day our paths will cross again.

[Maria Maboobi]

We stayed in touch Here and there, ran into each other at a party a couple weeks later. He was there. He was happy to see me, I was happy to see him. And he asked me, the first thing he said is, where's your boyfriend? I said, well, he's not here. My boyfriend at the time lived in Orange county, so we had a long distance relationship. I sort of had my life in LA with my friends, my school. I was still in college. And then I would see him every week. I got very offended when he said that. I'm like, how dare you? Because of the way he likes. With a little snark, where's your boyfriend? Like, who is this guy that leaves you alone? He actually said, who leaves you alone on a Saturday night?

[Marley]

I said, who leaves their girlfriend, especially someone like you, alone on a Saturday night? What kind of boyfriend is that?

[Mr. Truffles]

He had nothing to lose. Maria, you realize that it was all in, right?

[Maria Maboobi]

Exactly.

[Marley]

All the chips in.

[Mr. Truffles]

You were offended initially.

[Maria Maboobi]

So I was just like irritated, like, yeah, who is this guy telling me that? But I listen, there was some truth to it, right?

[Mrs. Truffles]

That's why it bothered.

[Maria Maboobi]

That's why it bothered me. Of course.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah, I am pretty great.

[Maria Maboobi]

Where is he exactly?

[Marley]

I said, I would never do that ever.

[Maria Maboobi]

Yeah. You know, so then I remember distinctly, like ignoring him after that at the party, like, this went my way. And yeah, I think after that, maybe ran into each other again four or.

[Marley]

Five times because of Tara and Giacomino and the parties they would have, the get togethers. We were always invited. And Maria, being one of Tara's best friends, was always there. So we actually formed a great friendship when we knew nothing's going to come of it. Zero. We became great friends. And I would tell you, in that five and a half year stretch, we probably saw each other seven, eight times.

[Maria Maboobi]

And we would go meet for coffee, meet for dinner, go to a movie.

[Mr. Truffles]

The groups or just the two of us?

[Maria Maboobi]

No, the two of us.

[Marley]

And I had a girlfriend and she had a boyfriend. In fact, I was helping her, believe it or not, resolve an issue with her boyfriend. Can you imagine?

[Maria Maboobi]

For a long time. Yeah.

[Mr. Truffles]

Was there something in the back of your mind thinking, you know what, this might come back and you know, it.

[Marley]

Had been few years. I figured she was going to end up marrying this guy. Okay, that didn't really cross my mind. We had a great friendship. Was very comfortable. Five and a half years passed and one night we go to dinner together to catch up. So we go to dinner, we're catching up, and I'm like, you know, what's wrong with you? You're so bent out of shape. You're not yourself. You're soft balanced. Is everything okay? And she's like, you know, I'm having issues with Greg again. And we had been through this a lot. Me helping her, giving her direction. And at this point, I said, look, this impact on you is having a negative influence. I would highly suggest you to figure things out, either to fix it or break up with him because you're not who you are at your core. Said, you know what? I don't want to be friends with you anymore. With who you've become. What I don't want to. I don't want to be friends with you anymore. Call me when you're either married to him or you're no longer with him.

[Mr. Truffles]

What? You did not say that.

[Mrs. Truffles]

We do that line in the sand.

[Mr. Truffles]

Was that a bluff? Are you really, you know, whoever you are now, best of luck. But I miss my Maria. I miss the one.

[Maria Maboobi]

He said it more bluntly, just like that.

[Marley]

I went, I said, look, I said, I hope you really find who you are again because this is not you. This is not the person I met. This is not who I've known for the past five years.

[Mr. Truffles]

Wow.

[Maria Maboobi]

Two years pass and I'd broken up. I was so happy. I was rediscovering myself. It was like all about just self healing and being comfortable in my own skin. I was so good. And then I was temporarily at my mom's house because I was in between jobs and this and that. So I had a lot of my stuff in boxes in my room. I was going through my boxes one day and I see this old answering machine and I connect it to see if it's still working. And I see that there was like one unplayed message. I press, and it was him from years back. Hey, Maria. I don't even know what he said. I'm like, I wonder how he's doing. Wow. I haven't heard. I haven't thought about him in a while. Yeah. So I left him a message. So I said, hey, human, it's Maria, voice from the past. I don't know if you remember me. And yeah. And then this was the summer of 2001.

[Marley]

2001. So I listened to the message. I'm like, oh my God, I wonder how she's doing.

[Mr. Truffles]

Were you in a relationship?

[Marley]

I was not.

[Mr. Truffles]

Okay.

[Marley]

I was not. I'm like, God, I wonder how she's doing. Wow. I couldn't wait to call her, actually. I was so excited to Call her. I reached out to her, I said, it is so wonderful to hear from you. How have you been? And then the next question was, are you still with Greg? Did you get married? Or did you break up? And she's. No, you know, you were right.

[Maria Maboobi]

I never said that.

[Marley]

I said, you know something? Normally, I would tell people, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm thrilled for you because you're now exactly who you should be. Because I knew he had changed her.

[Maria Maboobi]

In that you learn, you know, you have relationships, and we talk about this.

[Mr. Truffles]

A lot, but I feel like what you saw when she was with Greg, right, was she lost the authentic self that you knew. And you were basically saying to her, find your happy, find your smile. Either it's with him or it's not. But I don't know who this is. And when you find you again, give me a call. I would love to have you back in my life.

[Maria Maboobi]

Exactly.

[Mr. Truffles]

You know, exactly. And, I mean, I'm sorry for that. I'm getting teary just thinking about you. Finding the answering machine, plugging it, hearing it was disembodied voice.

[Maria Maboobi]

That was right?

[Hooman Maboobi]

Yeah.

[Maria Maboobi]

That was divine intervention for sure.

[Mr. Truffles]

Is divine intervention like, I've never heard? That's crazy.

[Marley]

I said, I would love to see you. Let's catch up. So we planned to have an afternoon lunch together, early dinner on a Sunday. I was at the time in the entertainment business, and I was going to a plate. It was a musical, and Maria joined me for that event. While we're there, I don't know what happened, but organically, I held her hand. I took her hand and I held it in my hand, and her hand froze. Froze.

[Maria Maboobi]

I'm like, oh, my God. So my head's, like, going, oh, my gosh. No. I don't want him to think that I want a relationship. I just. This is just a friendship that I felt bad how it sort of ended, and I wanted to see how he's doing. Like, genuinely.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah.

[Maria Maboobi]

I'm here thinking, I haven't been in the dating world for a long time. Is this how it works now? Or is this a friend thing? And I'm just like. My mind is spiraling. In the meantime, my hand starts sweating. Like, oh, my God. And then I'm, like, sweating. And so then he says, it just sort of happened. But I think he. That he was just sort of like saying, hey, this time I'm coming after you sort of thing.

[Marley]

Right.

[Maria Maboobi]

It was like the first step.

[Marley]

No, that comes later in the story. This was a very Organic. You know how, like, you get drawn to something when she was perspiring. I better make her feel comfortable. Let's remove the hand. And we started clapping at the performance and wanted to make her feel comfortable. I made a comment about the thing so she would forget about this whole ordeal because she froze. So we ended up going after that to have a meal together. I started talking to her more in depth about Greg and her relationship. And I said, do you miss him? She said that? No, I don't miss him. I miss what I had with him. I said, oh, that's replaceable.

[Maria Maboobi]

Like being in a relationship, you know?

[Mr. Truffles]

Right.

[Marley]

I said, that's easily replaceable, so don't worry about that. As long as that you're good. So the conversation continued. We go back. I drop her off to her car. I said, I cannot tell you how incredible it was to see you and be with you after all these years. She hugged me. You know how you hug and then you give a pad like a doggy? Like the doggy pad, like a doggy pad.

[Mr. Truffles]

Oh, for God's sake, what is wrong with you? I'm like.

[Marley]

I'm like. And I'm thinking like. Like we're not going through the same cycle again, you know?

[Mr. Truffles]

She didn't hand you a bone too.

[Marley]

I'm like, I'm not. This change. I'm going. I'm going all in. The chips are going all in. So I said to myself, like, what am I going to do to make an imprint of some sort, you know, to change the game a little bit? Right? That point. Strategically, this was. Strategically, it wasn't an energetic or metaphysical. It was real strategic. I said, you know what? You gotta lay a kiss. You gotta lay a kiss. So she's patting me and hugging me. You know, I pull back. So what do I do? I give her a peck right on the lips. What does she do? Starts laughing. Can you imagine? She starts laughing.

[Mr. Truffles]

I am so uncomfortable right now. My body is sweating. I feel like I'm in a sauna. Please stop telling the story. I am so uncomfortable.

[Marley]

But what did your dear friend Hoo man do?

[Mr. Truffles]

Tell me instantly what?

[Marley]

He kisses her again.

[Mr. Truffles]

Oh, God.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Good job.

[Marley]

He kisses her again. Not getting discouraged on any level. No apology, saying, this is not a joke. This is serious. This is the next level. Kisses her again. This time she didn't laugh. And the whole intention of that kiss was one thing to let her know that if we're ever gonna see each other again, it's gonna be quite different. The game has changed.

[Mr. Truffles]

I Have not taken a breath in.

[Mrs. Truffles]

The last four minutes.

[Mr. Truffles]

Just so you know.

[Mrs. Truffles]

So, Maria, what's going through your mind at this time?

[Maria Maboobi]

So at this time, I'm like, oh, God, okay, what does this mean? I'm so happy being single. I'm just getting to know myself again. But then at the same time, I know deep inside that the next person I meet will be my husband. You know, you have a feeling. And I wasn't out there to date just to date. I was ready to, you know, I was in my late 20s. I wanted to meet my husband. It was a big decision to make. It was like a big thing in front of me. At the same time, I felt so comfortable with him because there was that whole part of getting to know someone and feeling safe. That was done. We had been friends for so long, we could jump right, and see if this will work kind of thing. He didn't really give me much of a choice in his very charming, convincing way. A gentleman always. Obviously, at that point, it was sort of organic. We just sort of began to see each other, see where this would go.

[Mrs. Truffles]

And so did you kiss him back then?

[Maria Maboobi]

Oh, in that moment, yes. No, no, I was just. But I didn't laugh.

[Marley]

Well, she didn't laugh. She didn't push me off.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Okay.

[Marley]

She was. I think she had some mercy and she felt bad at that point. What happened after that is that we started to see each other every weekend. I called her the next day, like, she said, Like, I didn't give her a choice. Like, what are you doing this weekend? We need to get together. We have to pin her down before.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Somebody else could ask her out.

[Marley]

Exactly. You had a very little space and minimal room for error at this point. We started seeing each other on the third or fourth date. She said, you know, she goes, you know, I. I don't know if this thing can work between us. So we knew each other so well. I said, why? She said, well, two things. One, you're Jewish. I'm not. Second, you're Persian. I'm not. And I've learned from many Persian friends that most Middle Eastern men date a lot with other people, and then when they want to get married, they marry their own.

[Mr. Truffles]

So she protecting her heart. Is that what was happening?

[Maria Maboobi]

Yeah, of course. Why go down this route if it's a dead end? Three dates in, three or four dates in. Yeah.

[Marley]

So my response to her was, you're absolutely correct. Yes. It's a known fact that not everyone, majority, like, there are exceptions to everything. But I said, you know what? That's not who I am. I believe in one's soul, one's essence, one's heart. Said, instead of putting any limitations, why don't we first see if there's a soul connection between us? And then, if there is, then we'll deal with the formalities of being Persian. Not being Persian, being in the same faith, not being the same faith. We can. Those things can be taken care of. But let's see if the foundation is there. And if it is, then we'll deal with it. And I said, if you're willing to come on this ride with me. Because if you're not, we'll never know. But the only way to know is to take that chance. But I said, I promise you one thing. I will never hurt you. If it ever comes to that crossroad where I have to pick between you and my family, undoubtedly it will be you.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Oh, that's huge. That's huge.

[Marley]

I said, you have to trust me. And believe me, you gotta go on this journey with me. Otherwise we'll never know. We'll never know. I said, I'm all in. Are you all in with me?

[Maria Maboobi]

And so I guess we did.

[F]

You made me love you. I didn't want to do it, didn't want to do it. You made me want you. And all the time you knew it. I guess you always knew it. You made me happy sometimes times you made me glad. But there were times, my darling, you made me feel so bad. You made me sigh for. I didn't want to tell you, did not want to tell you. I want some love, that's true, yes, I do, indeed I do, you know I do. Give me, give me, give me what I cry for. You know you got the brand of kisses that I die for. You know you made me love you. You made me sigh for. I didn't want to tell you, didn't want to tell you. I want some love, that's true, yes, I do, indeed I do, you know I do. Oh, give me, give me, give me what I cry for. You know you got the brand of kisses that I died for. You know you made me love you.

[Maria Maboobi]

We went on the journey those couple years before we got married. It was the best time of our lives because we were together, forming the foundation of our relationship. It was us against the world. It was really special.

[Mr. Truffles]

Which family had a more difficult time accepting his. Yes. And you knew, I mean, you know your family so well. You knew going into this. This is going to be a hurdle. This is not going to be easy.

[Marley]

Big Time. Because two months into dating her, now we're in October.

[Mr. Truffles]

Okay.

[Marley]

From the summer. Right. July. She called me. We started going out in August. Now we're in October, and I take a horseback riding for a birthday in the Malibu Canyons. That day, I knew that she was going to be my wife. I had already fallen in love with her, and I told myself, I'm going to come back here to propose to her whenever that time will be. I knew that day I knew there was a very long and archuous journey ahead of us. Being that I come from a family whose culture, heritage, religion was very important to them, rightfully so, I knew that it was a battle ahead. Surely enough, my best friend was getting married in March. He called me. He goes, how should I send the invitation? Because he knew. He goes, how am I sending this invitation? Should I say Mr. And Mrs. So and so is your parents and Mr. Who man and guest? I said, yeah, that would be the best way.

[Mr. Truffles]

Okay.

[Marley]

Of course, the invitation comes. My father calls me. He said, there's this wedding. Are you going to be going? We have to respond. It was different back then. Like, it wasn't like, send the Evite or Process. I said, yes. He said, you're not bringing anyone, are you? I said, in fact, I am. I am.

[Mr. Truffles]

They knew Maria at this point? Yes.

[Maria Maboobi]

No, they never met her.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Oh, wow.

[Marley]

I never met her.

[Mr. Truffles]

Had they heard about her?

[Marley]

Yes, they did, because they saw how much I was involved and how serious it was getting, so they had no interest in engaging. He said, you're not bringing the girl you're dating, are you?

[Mrs. Truffles]

I said, you're not bringing that shiksa, are you?

[Maria Maboobi]

Exactly.

[Marley]

I said, in fact, I am. That was the beginning of where the battle began. They didn't come to the wedding.

[Mr. Truffles]

Your parents didn't come?

[Mrs. Truffles]

No.

[Marley]

Yeah, they didn't come to the wedding. Maria and I went.

[Maria Maboobi]

It's a big statement how you show up in social events with whom the right timing needs to be there. That's still part of the culture.

[Mr. Truffles]

Are you nervous about going to this wedding?

[Maria Maboobi]

Very.

[Mr. Truffles]

You were because. Yes. His parents were not there, but all of his friends. Right.

[Marley]

His and the whole community.

[Mr. Truffles]

Right.

[Marley]

It was a big wedding. The war started going around, basically. Big deal started. Rumorville started. We continue our path.

[Maria Maboobi]

We were both very spiritual. I had grown up Catholic. It just didn't work for me. So I was always sort of on my own, figuring out what worked for me at the time. I was going to Agape Love.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Agape?

[Maria Maboobi]

Yeah. I went there for many years. I was studying. I was. Was very involved. When we started dating, I became more curious about learning the spiritual side of Judaism. So they offered their Kabbalah classes. So I proposed to Huma and I said, you know, we should study Kabbalah because we were both interested in the spirituality. So with that came us sort of going down that route and learning together. And that was very special because that bonded us. But then at some point, I said, look, I love of just the whole idea of Judaism. As a matter of fact, when I was very young, I had had an Orthodox roommate when I lived in Spain, and she taught me a lot. And I would go to temple with her, and I was always sort of exposed to it in different ways, you know, throughout life. I said, but if I'm going to study, you're coming with me because you need to learn as well. And being culturally Jewish is very different than understanding the religion, so.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Right.

[Marley]

I said, I would love to. In fact, I've heard about Kabbalah through my aunt and uncle, who had mentioned it to me a few times. It was very intriguing to me. Said, yeah, I'd love to go with you. Learn more about the spiritual component of Judaism. I felt like it was home for me when I went there.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Were you guys studying with Agape or at the Kabbalah Center?

[Marley]

At the Kabbalah center, as the relationship evolved and we were really, you know, getting serious. And one of the things I told her, we both believe in God. I said, don't feel compelled to convert, especially since my parents are not supportive of this, so don't do it for them. I don't put conditions when it comes to love. If my love for you is conditioned, then that love will never last. I love you because of you, so don't put that pressure on yourself that you have to do this. And she's. I cannot tell you how much that means to me, but because I want to start a family and I want things to be very unified, I'd like to learn more about it. And after she was very enamored by the spiritual side of things, she said, now will you come with me to learn more about what the conversion process would be be?

[Mr. Truffles]

You've not proposed yet?

[Marley]

I had not proposed yet. Said, absolutely I would.

[Maria Maboobi]

I started my process and I loved it, and I converted. All of these things were really beautiful, forming our. The foundations of our relationship.

[Marley]

So before I proposed, I went to my parents. I said, I want you to know before you find out for everyone else, that I'm going to be proposing tonight to My future wife. And I said, I know that this is not something that you're supporting or giving your blessing. And I said, you know what? I do understand. I get it. I understand your way of thinking. I respect it. I don't agree with it, but I respect it. And I want you to know one thing. I will be the happiest man making this decision. If you would like to be part of my life, it would be amazing. If, for whatever reason you don't, I want you to know that I will always be there for you as your son. And know that I will always be okay. Because I have found exactly what I've always wanted in life. So I proposed to my beautiful wife. We went back exactly to the same ranch where back in 2001 of October, on her birthday, I knew I was in love with her.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yeah.

[Marley]

And that she was going to be my wife. So we went back to that same place. It was a very nervous weekend for me. I bought the ring.

[Maria Maboobi]

He was so nervous.

[Marley]

I was so nervous.

[Mr. Truffles]

You didn't see this coming, Maria. You didn't know what was happening.

[Maria Maboobi]

I didn't see it coming until we got there. And I realized how nervous he was. He had the ring in his jacket pocket. He couldn't even ride the horse because he was so worried that the ring would fall off. And I'm like, oh, no. So then I start getting the butterflies. You know, they're used to having a lot of proposals there. So they time it, ride. The sun is setting. We get to the top of the mountain. And then I see that our guide sort of leaves us. Then it's just the two of us. We get down from the horse, and then he got on one knee and proposed. And it was absolutely beautiful. But it was kind of funny, too, just seeing how nervous he was.

[Marley]

I was so nervous as I was opening the.

[Maria Maboobi]

He couldn't open it.

[Marley]

I couldn't. So she helped me, obviously.

[Maria Maboobi]

I'm like, just give it to me.

[Marley]

So it's a very funny scene. That summer, we decided to get engaged in Ecuador.

[Maria Maboobi]

Yeah. Like an engagement party, you know. His parents still weren't ready to meet me. We were so in love that it was just like, this is our life, and we're just going to move forward with it. At this point, my family had had a chance to meet him, so they were so in love with him. They realized what an amazing man he is, and they wanted us to meet the rest of the family. So we all went to Ecuador. And that was really nice. His cousins came with us.

[Marley]

Two Family members, cousins, My immediate. Obviously my sisters didn't come, my parents didn't come.

[Mr. Truffles]

How big was that engagement party?

[Maria Maboobi]

It was about 200 people. 300 people.

[Mr. Truffles]

Okay.

[Maria Maboobi]

Yeah, okay. It was like a mini wedding.

[Marley]

We got back, my mom reaches out to me, she said, you know, welcome back.

[Maria Maboobi]

She obviously had heard how it all went and everything.

[Marley]

Here's what one has to understand when you get to this point as a parent, you have to ask yourself, am I willing to lose my child? So they knew at this point, we're either going to lose their son or.

[Mr. Truffles]

They'Re going to gain a daughter.

[Marley]

Or they're going to gain a daughter. Exactly, exactly. So she said, your father would like to meet your fiance. I'm like, what?

[Mr. Truffles]

Wow.

[Marley]

He wants to have a one on one dinner with your fiance out of nowhere, reach out to Maria. I'm like, you won't believe it. My father would like to meet you. Because they had never met Maria. It was an idea. It was all an idea. She was like, what, Tom? How am I going to have dinner with your dad alone? What am I going to do? What am I going to say? I'm going to say, and I just said, you just be you.

[Mr. Truffles]

Is your dad an intimidating man?

[Maria Maboobi]

He can be.

[Marley]

He's formidable. Okay, he's formidable. But is he very charming?

[Mr. Truffles]

Does he have a lightness like you? Does he have.

[Maria Maboobi]

Yes, for sure.

[Mr. Truffles]

So much charisma?

[Marley]

Yes, for sure. Very charming. Great sense of humor.

[Mr. Truffles]

So if you can bring that exterior, you're in.

[Marley]

Right, exactly. At the same time, a man of principle, a man of conviction, conviction, integrity and certain rules, laws that he lives by.

[Maria Maboobi]

Yeah. So we met at Beverly Wilshire. It was nice because, you know, you had the background music, there was lively people. We had a four hour dinner. It started sort of like an interview, but then it became very pleasant and cordial and nice. I like to think that I charmed him. I guess I passed the test.

[Mr. Truffles]

Did your dad give you his blessing?

[Marley]

Right after that dinner, everything would happen through my mom. So my mom called me and she said, you know, your dad had a great time meeting Maria. We would all like to take you guys out to dinner to celebrate. To celebrate and to give you our blessing. And furthermore, we'd like to have another engagement party for you here in Beverly Hills. And they even had a beautiful wedding for us. There's a huge revelation. High point of this story, the wedding happens, everything's wonderful. Maria's family comes from Spain, from Ecuador, different parts of the world. There was an uncle of hers that we met her great uncle that lived in Vegas at the time that said, please come and visit me because I want to share something very special with you guys.

[Mr. Truffles]

Whose uncle is this?

[Maria Maboobi]

This is her uncle on my mom's side.

[Marley]

After our honeymoon, we make a trip to Las Vegas. He said, I want to share something very special with you guys that I didn't want to share before. He said, I've been keeping a lineage family tree.

[Maria Maboobi]

He was like the uncle, right.

[Mrs. Truffles]

That keeps a family history going back.

[Marley]

To the Spanish Inquisition of 1492. Portugal, Spain, everything that happened. And he said, you know, our family's name. And Maria's mom comes from the Perez family. And the Perez family were all Jews. They were forced to become more honored.

[Maria Maboobi]

Jews to convert to Catholic and that.

[Marley]

Our family was always Jewish. Wow.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Secretly Jewish. They were holding secret sa.

[Maria Maboobi]

I. I don't know at what point generationally that might have changed, but. Yeah. But then I want to tell another part of the story that's very interesting. So this same uncle, back in the 60s, he worked for a company who. They developed these machines that would create wrappers for chewing gum.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Okay.

[Maria Maboobi]

Human's family in Iran had a chewing gum factory. He was a supplier to his family in Iran. And he had met his grandfather, Hu Man's grandfather.

[Mrs. Truffles]

How crazy.

[Maria Maboobi]

60S.

[Marley]

Oh.

[Mr. Truffles]

Many years before. Before you were born.

[Maria Maboobi]

Yes.

[Mrs. Truffles]

About a small world, huh?

[Mr. Truffles]

Crazy.

[Maria Maboobi]

Isn't that crazy? So random.

[Mrs. Truffles]

So how long have you two been married now?

[Marley]

20 years. We just had our 20 year anniversary, wedding anniversary. And we're blessed with three beautiful children.

[Mr. Truffles]

Yes, you are.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Yes, you are. I understand how you were so taken. I mean, I think everyone's probably a little taken with Maria when they first meet her. There's just the light that comes from you.

[Marley]

It's just the light that comes from.

[Mr. Truffles]

When Human was talking about his love for her. And kind of he was selling, not really selling himself, but kind of laying it down. I fell a little bit in love with him. I felt like this could have been something. You two really. I, you know, I was kind of. As you were speaking, I thought, you know what, sweetie? If we ever take a break, I think we have. Our guest hosts are just such a joy to have. I think I'd like to know, as you would, Mrs. Truffles, what is the secret special sauce that keeps you two in love and keeps that fire burning?

[Marley]

And just like anything else in life is having appreciation is the key component, ingredient. And the other thing is to know that at any point, life being so fleeting, at any second, you can Lose something that every day you look at it as for the first time. That first look, that first kiss, that first hug. And you never forget that, that you're so aware and present of not only yourself, but the things that mean so much to you in life. And to have that appreciation and of course, respect and saying, okay, let me see, this is my point of view and this is hers. Where are the differences? Where can we bridge the gap? I think those are the key ingredients, you know, love, respect, and most importantly, appreciation.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Yes, appreciation is huge.

[Mr. Truffles]

Maria, how about you?

[Maria Maboobi]

I think that human is one of the funniest people in the world. And not a lot of people know that. So the laughter is definitely a key ingredient. Having that lightness, right. Not taking everything so seriously, which he has taught me tremendously how to do. That. Having two different bathrooms helps a lot as well.

[Mrs. Truffles]

I never hurt a relationship. No.

[Marley]

Love and laughter, that's the remedy and panacea to anything and everything. If one can put that in their daily life, you will have nothing that you cannot overcome in life.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Truly.

[Marley]

Love and laughter. The two Ls, the two Ls. L squared.

[Mrs. Truffles]

L squared.

[Mr. Truffles]

Well, that was fantastic. I really, you know, every, every time we sit with couples, I just, I learn a little bit more. My appreciation for long lasting love deepens. And I love you a little bit more.

[Marley]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Well, thank you guys so much for sharing your beautiful, beautiful story with us today.

[Marley]

Yeah, thank you for having us.

[Mrs. Truffles]

It was worth the wait.

[Marley]

It really was.

[Mr. Truffles]

And we'll be right back with more for love and Chocolate. This podcast is being brought to you By Beverly Hills Toysher Chocolates of Switzerland. Beverly Hills Teuther, at 371 North Camden Drive in Beverly Hills, has been serving up truffles, pralines, dipped fruits, marzipans, and our world famous chocolate bars for over 40 years. So next time you're in Beverly Hills, why don't you come by and visit or shop [e-mail].

[Mrs. Truffles]

Wasn'T that fantastic?

[Mr. Truffles]

I love them, adore them so much. They're such a. Just such a warm, cuddly couple, aren't they?

[Mrs. Truffles]

They're the best.

[Marley]

Yeah.

[Mr. Truffles]

And I just, I love that, that whole story. The moment where Maria discovered her answering machine and the message from.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Just so magical.

[Mr. Truffles]

It is. Yeah, it is. And the idea that that was going to be kind of the first day of the rest of her life.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Ooh, I just got goosebumps.

[Mr. Truffles]

Oh, my God, me too. Anyway, guys, thanks again for joining us. And guess what? We're going to do it again next week. But until then, say goodbye, Mrs. Truffles.

[Mrs. Truffles]

Goodbye, Mrs. Truffles.

[Mr. Truffles]

This show is brought to you by Beverly Hills Toy Chocolates of Switzerland, home of the world's first and finest champagne tropics. Join us next week for more adventures in everlasting love.