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A couple who enjoyed a whirlwind romance in the kingdom and married just six days after meeting for the first time are planning to return to the island after 20 years of married bliss.
Jessica and Jerry Mundroina were both divorcees who were introduced through mutual friends and met at Bahrain International Airport when he came over from the UK on a flying visit to the island.
Jessica, 55, who comes from the Indian state of Kerala, explained: “Though I was apprehensive and hesitant to accompany my friends to the airport, my gut instinct told me ‘GO!’ That’s how I first met him – at the airport.
“There was no date as such. We just had coffee, walked around, went to a friend’s house and had lunch and dinner.
“Actually it was I who decided that we should get married! We had spent over two days chatting to each other and telling each other about our previous marriages, what went right and what went wrong, and so many other things.
“At the end of it all we seemed to know each other inside out. And, then I said: ‘now what? Let’s get married’. And, he said: ‘yes, good idea!’ He’s that funny and laid-back.”
The couple tied the knot on March 22, 1995, exactly six days after they had met, at the Registry Office in Manama.
Retired sales executive Jerry, 58, who was born in Bangalore but lived in England at the time, said: “I loved Jessica’s free-spiritedness and independent nature.
“We telephoned our respective mothers – neither of our fathers was alive at that time – and gave them the news. There were mixed reactions of surprise, apprehension and happiness.”
Jessica’s boss in Bahrain wasn’t so impressed because she had moved from the UAE to take up her post, and she described him as ‘hopping mad’. “I had to move out of the company accommodation and rent out a small apartment so Jerry and I could start our married life,” she said. “We then enquired about procedures and formalities so that I could leave with Jerry, back to Britain.
“We got an interview with the British High Commission soon after for my visa. Once I had successfully completed the three-hour long interview I was granted a one-year visa to the UK.”
The couple flew out to London in April and haven’t looked back since. They are now settled in Ernakulam, Kerala, which has been their home since 2008.
Jessica, a successful consultant, coach and trainer, revealed the secret of their successful partnership and offered this heartfelt advice to sweethearts.
“We have been very happily married for 20 years and neither of us could have dreamt or found anyone better,” she said.
“Trust and believe in one another, for a start. And, secondly, don’t try to change the other if you are not willing to change yourself. Find happiness in what you have, not in what you want or do not have.
“And, for those who are looking for true love, I would like to say – be a reflection of what you would like to receive. If you want love, give love; if you want honesty, be honest. What you give out will always return.”
The couple has five sons between them. Jessica’s youngest child Parikshith Sambasivan, 27, is assistant manager – marketing at Al Areen Resort & Spa.
They had originally planned to return to the island of love to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary but have now brought forward the trip. Jessica explained: “Somewhere at the back of my mind I wanted to visit Bahrain – around our 25th anniversary is what I had planned – but now that my younger son, Parikshith, is there we would love to visit in 2016. We are planning a February trip, exactly when I am unable to say right now, but probably for a week or 10 days.
“Dreams visit us when we are asleep. But God is truly wise – he wakes us up each day and gives us every chance to make our dreams come true!”
