Love is in the air (mail)

For many folks, texting, instant messaging, and Web sites like MySpace provide the majority of their social interaction. The ancient art of crafting a letter seems like a quaint idea from a bygone era. But without pen and paper, Fabrice and Heather Pucheu would have never met.

In 1994, Heather’s French teacher at Riverside High School enrolled the second-year class in a pen-pal program. “I was matched with a young man named Fabrice Pucheu who lived in a small town near Bordeaux, France,” Heather said. “It was completely random.”

They began a lively correspondence with letters going back and forth almost weekly. Their letters offered the pair a window into each other’s world and connected them in a lasting way. For several years they corresponded, but the letters gradually tapered off when Heather married.

A short time later the marriage ended, and Heather rediscovered Pucheu’s letters among her things. “I thought, gosh I haven’t written to Fabrice in a long time – I wonder how he is?” So she sent him a note.

“I was very surprised,” Pucheu recalled when he received that letter. “My sister said, ‘Why don’t you keep writing and maybe go to the USA and meet her?’ ” He thought that was great advice. He began saving money, and in 2002 he made his first phone call to Heather.

“It was very emotional for me to hear his voice after corresponding for eight years,” she said. “It was like talking to an old friend you hadn’t seen in a long time.” Soon letters gave way to expensive long-distance phone calls, and in September 2002 Pucheu flew to Spokane. Heather was 24 and Fabrice 27 when they met in person for the first time. She welcomed him at the airport with a huge banner. “I think I knew deep down when I saw him – I was going to marry him,” she said.

Pucheu’s reaction to the blonde with the dimpled smile and shining blue eyes was equally positive. “I thought, ‘Oh, wow, she is very pretty!’ ” he said with a laugh.

Their weeklong visit flew by too quickly for both of them. “I was upset when it was time to leave,” said Pucheu. “But I knew in my heart I was going to come back.”

Lots of tears were shed at the airport. In a bittersweet moment, their first kiss was the kiss they shared when saying goodbye. “When I went through security, I turned around and said, ‘I will come back,’ ” Fabrice recalled.

And eight months later, he did. However, that return visit proved disastrous.

On May 8, 2003, Pucheu arrived at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. At the time there was a visa-waiver program which allowed travelers to visit the U.S. for 90 days. Pucheu had quit his job, sold his car, and given up his apartment. His intention was to visit Heather and better acquaint himself with American culture. However, when the customs official asked the purpose of his visit, Pucheu replied that he was visiting his girlfriend and if he liked the U.S. he might want to stay. Big mistake. The Customs officer believed Pucheu was trying to enter the country fraudulently. He was taken to a holding cell and detained for 26 hours, and then put on a plane back to France with a big, red stamp on his passport stating, “Refused.”

That was not acceptable to the couple. When the sobbing Pucheu called from Chicago, Heather said, “Well, it looks like we’re getting married.” She immediately began the extensive process to procure a fiancé visa for Pucheu.

Because Pucheu could no longer visit her, Heather made plans to visit him. Her trip to France was fraught with difficulty. Her plane was delayed at Sea-Tac due to spilled cherries on the runway. Midway through her flight she was informed that British Airways ground crews were on strike. When the plane finally landed she’d missed her connecting flight to France and was told she’d have to wait until the next day for a connecting flight. “I said, ‘Like hell!’ ” Heather recalled. She marched to the train station and bought a ticket.

At last she was reunited with Pucheu and spent 10 days meeting her fiancé’s family and becoming familiar with his village. “I was very happy,” said Pucheu, “and my mother, she was very excited.”

They both agreed saying goodbye only got more difficult.

In April 2005, Pucheu’s mother woke him up saying, “You’ve got a call from the U.S. Embassy!” It was good news – his visa was approved. The next month he was in Spokane, and on June 25, 2005, the couple married in a backyard ceremony at the home of Heather’s mother.

This month marks 14 years since they first exchanged letters. Their North Side apartment is decorated with Pucheu’s pastel drawings and paintings. The self-taught artist’s work is also on display at the Gallery of Thum in Steam Plant Square. As they talked about the reality of sharing a home after so many years apart, they laughed.

“He’s always touching my stuff!” Heather said. And for her husband, adjusting to life in the U.S. was sometimes bewildering. Twinkies, Pop Tarts and yard sales were new experiences for him. But he doesn’t regret leaving his homeland.

“When I saw her there was such a connection. It easy for me to leave,” Pucheu said. And though it was difficult for his family, his mother encouraged him saying, “Go. Don’t worry – this is your love.”

Heather Pucheu gazed up at her husband fondly. “He is so sensitive and romantic. He’s the world’s best cook.” Then she laughed and offered this advice, “Ladies, if you have a chance – import them.”