Jana and I met for the first time at the beginning of the fall semester of 1979, when we both began studying molecular biology at the Faculty of Science at the then J.E. Purkyne University in Brno, Czech Republic. We were both 18 years old. We didn’t immediately fall in love, although Jana later told me that she „noticed“ me straight away as a guy with a special combination of worldliness and tenderness. As was customary at the time, we honestly attended all lectures and tutorials, and during the hours we spent together in classes and lectures, we got to know our fellow students. At the time, it didn’t occur to me that my future wife was one of them. She was also very inconspicuous, at least in terms of her style of dress, her hairstyle, she didn’t use eye shadow, etc. However, over the course of the first year of study, I realized that the more inconspicuous her face was, the more obvious her intellect was. She passed all the exams with flying colors and it was clear that she could delve very deeply into the most difficult subjects and understand the principles and essence of things. I admired her and at the same time realized that she was incredibly modest, unpretentious and friendly. For example, she was always ready to help with study matters at any time. I liked her. So, the first academic year passed and in the summer vacation of 1980 we had to fulfill our obligations as part of the imposed „student summer activity“ in order to receive the so-called Lenin credit. This was an obligatory holiday job, which of course each of us would gladly avoid. Jana worked on a lathe in the Zbrojovka factory, I cleaned toilets in another factory in Brno. It was then that I tried to get closer to Jana for the first time and invited her on a „date“. After work, I called her and asked if she would go for a walk with me in Spilberk Park. She agreed, and so we went.
Since I knew she was a shy girl, I didn’t try anything, I didn’t even take her hand. We just walked through Spilberk together and talked. At some point, I led her to a bench hidden in the bushes away from the sidewalks. As a native of Brno who lives near Spilberk, I had known this park very well since my childhood, so I sometimes used this hidden bench to study in peace. This time it was also a good place to meet the girl. But, as I mentioned, all in all it was just a nice chat. And that’s when the fateful daisies appeared for the first time. They were growing everywhere in the place. So I made a gesture and plucked a bunch for her. It was an unspoken question as to whether we’d somehow get closer. Jana took it, placed it next to her on the bench and we continued our conversation. When we left, I was disappointed to see that the flowers had been left on the bench. She hadn’t taken them with her! From my point of view, the interpretation was clear: she’s not interested. For her, our „date“ is nothing more than an ordinary meeting between two classmates who happen to have a free afternoon. If she was interested in me, she’d definitely keep a bunch. So I didn’t invite her on another date and nothing happened between us for a long time. We continued to meet regularly at school, we sat next to each other in lectures, we ate together in the canteen, but all within the context of a normal friendly relationship, no intimacy. And so it continued for the next year and a half. It wasn’t until we had „half the study party“ after the fifth semester and were celebrating it with other fellow students in a small hut near Telč that the spark between us was ignited. It wasn’t until the spring of 1982 that I kissed her for the first time and we finally became a real couple. But with a long delay because of the daisies.
EPILOGUE
Years later, when we remembered our first meeting in Spilberk, it was a shock for me! I learned that Jana wanted to keep the flowers, but she didn’t do it on purpose. She didn’t want to give the impression that she was easy to get. The story goes that she searched in vain for the flowers the next day. She could not find the well-hidden bench. The lesson from this is that it is good to communicate clearly and understandably and not just in hints. This can easily lead to misunderstandings. And also that women are sometimes difficult to comprehend.