Hilvey ó Ceallaigh, whose family’s surname was changed to Kelly when they went through Ellis Island in 1939, sat on a train bound for New York City.
When her family passed through Ellis Island they didn't have time to sightsee, as they needed to board a train in Newark, NJ, bound for Kansas City, Kansas, where some of her father’s relatives were ready to take them in.
Two years later she was on a train heading back to New York. She wanted to take part in the New Year’s Eve festivities in Times Square on December 31, 1941 and to do the sightseeing she never got to do when she first arrived in the U.S.
Now, two years after they arrived, in the new world, one of Hilvey’s father’s friends had agreed to meet Hilvey at Grand Central Station. That friend had a daughter, Patricia, about the same age who also met Hilvey when she disembarked.
Patricia’s father gave them $5.00 each, which was a fortune at that time, and said “You only live once girls, have a great day. Hilvey, don’t stop until you have seen everything in New York you have dreamed of. I will see you at home after the ball drops.”
They walked up the ramp from the tracks
and into the beautiful main lobby of Grand Central station.
To Patricia, this was old hat, but she patiently waited while Hilvey stood in one spot, with her mouth agape, and spun slowly wanting to take it all in, so she would never forget that moment.
Finally, after much tugging from Patricia, they finally exited onto 42nd Street and the feeling was electric for Hilvey. She felt as if she was a small part of a living breathing organism, like one tiny corpuscle.
Patricia took Hilvey to all the tourist spots, but also to cool spots only New York City natives would know.
Hilvey was amazed from her day of sightseeing, and at 11:30pm they made their way to Times Square.
Hundreds of thousands of other revelers were already having a party.
At 1am, famished from their adventurous day, they found themselves at The Toffenetti Restaurant. The line was long but they did not care how long it would take to get in. This was the spot where every tourist wanted to eat in Times Square.
Brooklyn native Vincenzo Colombo, 23 years old, was home from basic training and couldn’t wait to see the ball drop on December 31, 1941.
He was shipping out of the BAT (Brooklyn Army Terminal), at 0800 the next day.
He and his best friend, Robert McCallion, spent the day in Manhattan and arrived in Times Square at 11:30pm.
Hundreds of thousands of other revelers were already having a party.
Like many New York natives, he had never attended a New Year’s eve ball dropping, or visited The Statue of Liberty. He did not know what his fate would be fighting in the big war, so he had spent the day doing all the things tourists do in Manhattan.
At 1am, famished from their adventurous day, they found themselves at The Toffenetti Restaurant. The line was long but they did not care how long it would take to get in. This was the spot where every tourist wanted to eat in Times Square. Just like attending the New Year's Eve ball dropping and visiting the Statue of Liberty, New York native Vincenzo had never thought to eat there.
Right in front of them were two very cute girls and Vincenzo, being the stereotypical Italian, struck up a conversation with them.
Within minutes, Patricia and Robert were invisible to Hilvey and Vincenzo. It was as if they were floating all alone in a personal oasis.
They were all finally seated.
While sharing an egg cream, Hilvey told Vincenzo she wanted to see him again while she was visiting the city, but Vincenzo had to tell her the sad truth that in just a few hours he was headed to fight the Germans.
Hilvey got a piece of paper and a pen from the counter and wrote down her address.
She said, “Vincenzo, Will you write to me?”
Vincenzo replied, “Of course.”
They exited the restaurant and were about to part ways, when Hilvey grabbed Vincenzo’s face, closed her eyes, held her breath, and softly kissed him. She had never kissed a man romantically in her life.
She said, “Keep yourself alive so you can come home to me and make me your wife.”
He said, “I will.”
For two years Vincenzo kept his promise and wrote to his Hilvey. He opened every letter with “My Beloved Hilvey.” They wrote to each other as often as possible.
Hilvey woke up everyday wondering if the letters would stop because Vincenzo had been killed in action.
On May 8, 1945 - known as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day - celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe.
Patricia was working at National Automotive Fibres, Inc. making parachutes.
She couldn’t be next to her beloved Vincenzo on the front lines, but she imagined that Vincenzo would be given one of the parachutes she had assembled when he had to jump out of a plane into enemy territory.
On Wednesday, the Fourth of July, 1945, Hilvey was at her parachute assembly station when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She quickly turned and saw no one there, but then she looked down, and there was her Vincenzo, in his full dress uniform, on one knee, holding a ring in his right hand.
He said with tears in his eyes, “My Beloved Hilvey. Thoughts of your beautiful face and our one kiss is what kept me alive. I am here to honor your request and make you my wife. Will you make me your husband?”
Hilvey knelt down and grabbed Vincenzo’s face, closed her eyes, held her breath, and softly kissed him. She had only kissed one man romantically in her life and only once.
This man. Her man.
She said, “It’s all I’ve thought about since our first kiss.”
They took their vows outside The Toffenetti Restaurant, at the strike of midnight, December 31, 1945, standing exactly where they had their first kiss. (So did Patricia and Robert!)
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