I met my husband in a movie theater. He used a bad pickup line and was 45 minutes late for our first date. 33 years later, we're still married.

• My now-husband used a terrible pickup line when we first met that had my friends laughing out loud.

• He was 45 minutes late for our first date, which lasted 15 minutes because I had to run to class.

• We've been together for 33 years.

I was in graduate school in Washington, DC, working full time with very little money and even less free time. I was studying for a test but accepted a last-minute invite to the movies to get out of my muggy apartment after the air conditioning broke.

Dropped off at the entrance, my friends and I scrambled to get in line to purchase tickets while our patient friend and chauffeur sped off to negotiate the parking-area jungle.

To this day I maintain that my friends and I were fixated on the door, but only because we were waiting for our last friend. My husband, on the other hand, insists I stalked him with my eyes the minute he walked in.

I did notice him and commented to my squad that he was "handsome" and "just my type." They observed that he seemed to be making a point of strutting back and forth in front of us with no obvious destination, just to be seen.

His pickup line was so bad

Our last friend hurtled into the lobby, and we rushed into the theater just as the lights dimmed.

The next thing we knew, my husband-to-be swaggered up to us — purportedly on his way out to buy popcorn — and asked me if I knew him, as I'd been staring at him. My friends fell over themselves laughing, horrified at what they thought was one of the worst pickup lines ever.

After some hesitation — and egging on by my friends — I joined him at the concession stand.

At this point, the narrative gets fuzzy. My husband insists I whipped out a business card and directed him to "call me immediately." In my recollection, he wanted to grab a drink after the movie but I demurred to return to my studying.

Either way, the connection was made. Going home that night, my friends referred to him as "Movie Theater Man" and said, "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if you ended up going out with that guy?"

He was late for our first date

Our first date took place exactly one week later and lasted all of 15 minutes.

Stuck in DC's gridlock, my husband was 45 minutes late. Wondering if I was at the right place — this was before cellphones — I ordered myself a drink while I waited.

I was paying my bill and getting up to leave when I saw him walking toward me.

"I've got to get to class," I said as he apologized profusely for being late. He ended up driving me to class as recompense, and we made tentative arrangements to try again.

After a few false starts, we finally connected over dinner at a dive pizza joint and built from there.

My husband impressed me with his ability to talk to anyone at any time about any subject. I noted with appreciation that he could cook, was good with a toolbox, and was kind to strangers.

My husband respected my intelligence and drive and was transfixed by my ability to remember random bits of trivia. I ignored his lack of rhythm on the dance floor, and he pretended to like the microwaved cheese sticks I served him on an early date.

When he proposed two years after our movie-theater pickup, as a romantic gesture he wore the same outfit he was wearing the night we met. And 33 years later, we're still together.

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