What makes you stay???

(A reposted story from another friend from "friendster". i just wanted to share this...)

He met her at a party. She was so outstanding,
many guys chasing after her, while he was so
normal, nobody paid attention to him.
At the end of the party, he invited her to have
coffee with him, she was surprised but due to
being polite, she promised. They sat in a nice
coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything,
she felt uncomfortable, she thought to
herself, "Please, let me go home.."

Suddenly he asked the waiter, "Would you please
give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."
Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face
turned red but still, he put the salt in his
coffee and drank it.

She asked him curiously, "Why you have this
hobby?"

He replied, "When I was a little boy, I lived near
the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel
the taste of the sea , just like the taste of the
salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I
always think of my childhood, think of my
hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss
my parents who are still living there."

While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was
deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the
bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his
homesickness, he must be a man who loves
home, cares about home, has responsibility of
home..

Then she also started to speak, spoke
about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her
family.That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful
beginning of their story. They continued to date.
She found that actually he was a man who meets
all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind
hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good
person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his
salty coffee!

Then the story was just like every beautiful love
story, the princess married to the prince, then
they were living the happy life...

And, every time
she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the
coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.

After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter
which said, "My dearest, please forgive me,
forgive my whole life's lie. This was the only
lie I said to you---the salty coffee.
Remember the first time we dated? I was so
nervous at that time, actually I wanted some
sugar,but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I
just went ahead. I never thought that could be the
start of our communication!

I tried to tell you the truth many times in my
life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised
not to lie to you for anything.. Now I'm dying, I
afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth, I don't like the
salty coffee, what a strange bad taste.. But I have had
the salty coffee for my whole life!
Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything
I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest
happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the
second time, still want to know you and have you
for my whole life, even though I have to drink the
salty coffee again."

Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday,
someone asked her, "What's the taste of salty
coffee?"
She replied, "It's sweet."

Love is not to forget but to forgive, not to see but to understand, to to hear but to listen, not to let go but to hold on.
Don't ever leave the one you love for the one you like, because the one you like will leave you for the one they love.
Forget the things that make you sad..Remember the things that make you glad.