‘Soulmates’ is a much used and abused term, but here it is: ‘Soulmates’ is what you see in this image. Every one of this past nineteen years Brigitte and I celebrate our wedding anniversary with special meal and a bottle of Rosé champagne. This year it happened to be a good Bollinger we have had stashed nine months waiting for this day. I made prawn moose for a starter, we followed it with a slow roasted duckling with orange sauce and B made an old French classic: floating islands for desert.
As we sat sipping the last of the Bollie I reflected on the connection between my writing, this anniversary, and the now nineteen bottles of Rosé champers lined up atop our dresser.
My soulmate and I appear in most, if not all of the twenty three books I’ve written. Rosé champagne appears routinely, and as do many of the dishes I’ve cooked to go with it. The places we have visited are used as locations. The places we have lived, feature. But mostly, and most importantly, our relationship, our love affair, our partnership, and our marriage, is at the core of all those novels.
As we live in each other’s laps during this lockdown I appreciate now, more than ever, what ‘Soulmates’ truly are and I give thanks I found mine.
David Rory ONeill 