Love can start anytime, anyplace, everybody knows that. The rub is to notice when we’re happy, and shout or sigh or think at some point, “This is it.” But there are adversaries to this romantic idea, ironically labeled, romantics. They have certain, shall we say… expectations: ways that things must be.
But that's exactly what happened to Roly and Fabienne! They met while at CEGEP studying Computer Science Technology. Lab work—both solo and team—is mandatory in the program, and Roly, noticing Fabienne's charms immediately, asked her to be his partner. That was easy enough. Unfortunately, it would take Roly two years of work and near superhuman devotion before scoring an actual date with his delightful classmate. read more…
Fabienne was focusing all of her energy on school and didn’t want a boyfriend. She was twenty-three and just coming out of a full-time career as a bookkeeper. Fabienne wanted something more than a life of pluses and minuses, so she quit her job and went back to school. She was already good with numbers and considered Finance first. However, upon evaluating the amount of time (so many years!) it would take to get a decent position in a reputable firm after graduating, she changed her mind, and chose Computer Science Technology instead; a career Fabienne felt would get her, “closer to the things [she] wanted faster.”
Her would-be counterpart, Roly, got into computers by playing music, “I used them to practice my guitar, playing back tracks I could jam along with.” He was steadfast, and resolute in his twin goals: a) become a computer programmer, and b) marry Fabienne—not necessarily in that order. By their fourth semester together, Roly had become an expert at delivering flowers, network analytics, composing heart worn pop songs (I’m not kidding), debugging Ethernets, and hanging up the phone when Fabienne’s father answered.
Eventually, with graduation just around the corner, Fabienne ran out of excuses and gave Roly a chance.
They got engaged after just a year of dating. The next, they married—theirs is not a fake chemistry. And like any young couple, they wanted to travel and start a family. But before that could happen, they needed to get some solid jobs, and find a fabulous place to live (they were thinking Plateau, Mile-End, maybe NDG).
It didn’t take long. Shortly after graduation, Fabienne heard through a friend that IBM was looking to hire a bunch of new people. She applied, landed the position, and the rest came quickly. The gig turned out to be a juicy job, which soon transformed in to a concrete career.
And what exactly does Fabienne do? Well, she handles “SEVERITY 1” situations managing SAP databases (wow!) that demand her specific—and highly marketable—skill sets. It’s complicated, but essentially, she protects large companies from disaster by solving weird puzzles, “When a bank is calling every five minutes because none of their printers are working, you need to solve the problem, fast.” In ten years, Fabienne expects to be in a senior position with IBM. “I already make more money than my husband, “says Fabienne. “How many mothers can say that?” The claim was cheerfully confirmed by her husband, saying, “smart and talented women do especially well in IT.” Fabienne is very keen on working for such a famous organization.
Roly wanted something different and decided to take a job working with networks at a smaller, friendlier company. He stayed there for a while and then moved on to a larger, though equally friendly firm, which he still works at today. At work, Roly deals with other companies to make sure all of their computers are communicating properly. It sounds a lot like Fabienne’s job, only less scary. Someday, Roly hopes to go solo as a private consultant, or problem-solver for hire.
For now, Roly and Fabienne are anticipating the second birthday of their only daughter Penelope. When I asked Fabienne if there was a family significance to the name, she murmured, “We were watching LOST, heard the name on the show, and fell in love with it.” There was nothing these two wouldn’t talk about, especially when it came to Penelope. Roly is a quick draw with the Blackberry, at the ready to entertain everyone with pictures of his daughter—a cheerful ambassador of the baby snapshot. They all live together in a condo by Atwater market (a great choice!) and spend their weekends riding bicycles around the canal, snacking on pie, and doting on their baby girl.
Love can start anytime, anyplace, everybody knows that. The rub is to notice when we're happy, and shout or sigh or think at some point, "This is it." But there are adversaries to this romantic idea, ironically labeled, romantics. They have certain, shall we say… expectations: ways that things must be.
A romantic might say, "Love can't bloom in a lab, it needs natural light."
But that's exactly what happened to Roly and Fabienne! They met while at CEGEP studying Computer Science Technology. Lab work—both solo and team—is mandatory in the program, and Roly, noticing Fabienne's charms immediately, asked her to be his partner. That was easy enough. Unfortunately, it would take Roly two years of work and near superhuman devotion before scoring an actual date with his delightful classmate.
