Il-familja tiegħu emigrat lejn l-Istati Uniti lura fl-1952, u minn Las Vegas, Nevada, iddeċieda li jiġi jiċċelebra l-imħabba tiegħu f’pajjiżna.
Din il-ġrajja ta’ Eric Bonnici, li s-Sibt ingħaqad fiż-żwieġ mal-maħbub tiegħu Alexander Larson.
Lejlet it-tieġ tagħhom, kellimniehom f’okkażjoni li kellhom mal-ħbieb tagħhom, fejn Eric spjegalna kif trabba f’ambjent ta’ rispett lejn il-kultura Maltija. Kultura ta’ nies ġentili u ta’ qalb tajba.
“I travelled here with my parents when I was young, I think I was 10 or eleven years old. And it was much different. It’s modernised a great deal, but however the people are still the same, they’re still passionate, they’re still loving, and to me still one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
Spjegawlna kif iltaqgħu permezz tan-neputi ta’ Eric, u l-intenzjoni tagħhom qatt ma kienet li jidħlu f’relazzjoni, imma li jiltaqgħu bħala ħbieb, u jkunu ta’ kumpanija għal xulxin.
“We’d start seeing each other a lot and kind of grew on each other, and then more and more I’d want to see him, and he was a bit resistant – cause of the age difference.
But over time we got past that, and eventually it turned into a proposal in Christmas, and now here we are today.”
Il-mistoqsija ġiet waħedha, kif iddeċidew li minn Las Vegas jiġu jiżżewġu Malta.
Eric spjegalna li l-ewwel nett biex jonora lill-ġenituri tiegħu, li m’għadhomx magħna, u li żgur kienu jkunu kburin bih.
Barra minn hekk, innota l-passi ta’ ġgant li għamlet Malta fejn jidħlu drittijiet ugwali.
U għaldaqstant f’pajjiżna sabu dar naturali.
“For them to be accepting and pass legislation last year…we could not go anywhere else than Malta. It just made perfect sense. There was a combination of our family heritage, our passion for the whole world one day to be equal and practice equality.” 22sec+preroll
U biex jiċċelebraw l-imħabba tagħhom f’pajjiżna, ħasbu li kienu se jkunu erbgħa biss minn sħabhom li kienu se jkunu lesti jaqsmu l-oċean. Hawn kienu żbaljati.
“After we’ve shown some pictures, and a little bit of history, and everybody saw how beautiful Malta is…it went for 4 to 6 to now 36 Americans that are now here to celebrate the wedding with us.”
Fl-aħħar nett staqsejniehom jekk jafux xi kelma bil-Malti…
“Something I feel from my heart that I say to him is ‘jien inħobbok’ which I believe is ‘I love you’”.
