I love a power outage

In Plato’s “The Symposium,” Aristophanes relates that at the beginning of human existence, we were complete beings with four legs, four arms, and two faces that looked in opposite directions. We challenged the gods with our strength and pride, which is why Zeus decided to divide us in two.. Since then, every human being has been desperately trying to find their lost other half. love being the constant search for original unity.

In 1987, Chile experienced a tumultuous year marked by protests against the Pinochet regime, the visit of Pope John Paul II and the recognition of Cecilia Bolocco as the first Chilean crowned the most beautiful woman in the universe . As December arrived with Christmas lights in the background and the anticipation of a new year, there was a feeling of renewal, change and joviality in the air.

A few days before the 31st, the family of Gracia (20 years old), university student from Concepción and Madonna fan, was invited to spend New Year’s Eve with some of her parents’ friends. That evening, she prepared meticulously: she did her hair, put on white pants and put on a T-shirt decorated with polka dots. She would never have imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that at this reunion, which would obviously be attended by other families, would be the man with whom she currently shares more than three decades of marriage and with whom she has three children.

Across town, Roberto, two years older than Gracia, had also received an invitation to the event. Immersed in a series of failed relationships, at least three, he called himself an incurable romantic. He always carried a Walkman and a collection of cassettes with ballads by the likes of Lionel Richie, Air Supply and Phil Collins. Putting on his headphones, he lay down on the lawn of his university, letting his mind get lost in scenarios worthy of a soap opera full of passion and forbidden love.

That night, looking back, he remembers feeling like something extraordinary was going to happen. For the party, he chose a denim jacket, a red striped t-shirt that he wore inside his jeans and white sneakers. Her entire outfit was new, knowing that the occasion would be memorable and would require an appearance worthy of the occasion.

The first people started arriving around 8 p.m. Although the house still had its Christmas decorations, on a long table that stretched across the garden, festive gifts and punch, wine and even champagne were served. Laughter echoed in the room and from the early hours of the evening, the boleros set the mood for the older guests who were already toasting and sharing memorable anecdotes from the past year.

Gracia arrived at the event accompanied by her parents and younger sister. Standing nearly five feet tall and wearing the latest platform shoes, she made a triumphant entrance that provoked sighs among the young singles. In addition to her pretty figure, she sported perfectly curly hair, a tribute to her idol, the Queen of Pop. Around fifteen guests were divided between the garden, the living room and the kitchen. But like in the movie scenes, every time Gracia went out to the terrace, Roberto went to the bathroom, and if he was in the kitchen, she immersed herself in the conversations in the living room with her friends. Despite the proximity, their eyes had not yet met when the clock struck eleven in the evening.

Just as she was dancing and doing her best moves on the dance floor, Roberto was kidnapped by the owner of the house, who was telling her about numerology and rituals that he had learned from a book. New Age that they gave him for Christmas. And while the young man lost his concentration among the recipes for baths of abundance, The power suddenly went out, taking the music and the party with it.

From what they both remember, that night it would have happened an attack on a power plant and for this reason the system experienced an outage. Or at least that’s what a neighbor told them. With no lights, no music and no idea what was happening, the owner of the house hurried to find candles and batteries to turn on the radio. Gracia says it was one of the longest and darkest power outages she can remember because it not only affected homes, but entire blocks were turned off.

The laughter and screams began to fade as the uncertainty grew, and in exchange, the whispers and guesses of the elderly about the incident took over.

As the minutes passed – they remember waiting for almost an hour – participants began to abandon the event and one by one, they left the house. When the hostess finally received candles from one of her neighbors, it was already past noon and, due to the emergency, no one had given each other the corresponding hug with best wishes.

Gracia’s father thought going home was a good idea . The whole family got in the car and continued listening to the radio as they drove through Concepción. Roberto walked home for about forty minutes, completely frustrated with his destination. The very one who conspired so that their paths would not cross that night.

This celebration, or lack thereof, has become an anecdote, and although some thinkers believe that destiny is the result of consciously seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, these two beings have been brought together. Ten months later, in October 1988, the hostess celebrated a birthday in the same house where they almost met, but this time, without any unforeseen circumstances, Gracia and Roberto looked into each other’s eyes and were able to introduce themselves. That evening they danced, talked about music, recommended singers and the chemistry between them was unusual. As their friends remember and repeat to this day, a special aura enveloped them when they spoke enthusiastically about their hobbies and dreams.

Before the party ended, the hostess talked about the missed New Year and neither of them could believe that in this very house, because of the power outage, they were about to meet again. They never separated again after this conversation. Three years later they got married and today, settled in Santiago, they sit in the living room of their house and remember this new year. “What would have happened without the accident? I wish I hadn’t wasted my time! , he says. “How can we not believe in destiny, if in the end, it still ends up bringing us together? » she replies, laughing. “This is my other half “.