Swedish Actress Turned Writer Defies Convention And Marries Homeless Man Who Stole Her Heart

Jul 20, 2022 by apost team

You’d be surprised how many doors will open and good surprises can come your way when you choose to be open-minded and leave judgment behind. For one Swedish actress turned novelist, this was very much the case when it came to a chance meeting on a park bench in Amsterdam.

As the daughter of a foreign affairs journalist, Emmy Abrahamson had traveled extensively as a child, picking up five languages in the process. After graduating from a London acting school, she packed her bags for Vienna in the mid-2000s to continue pursuing her career as an actress. On Dec. 24, 2006, on a visit to Amsterdam to meet with a film director, Abrahamson found herself waiting alone on a park bench.

Meanwhile, Wiktor Kocula could not have come from a more different background. A native of Toronto, Canada, he had traveled to Europe on a backpacking trip. But when the funds dried up, he found himself homeless, living under a bush and prone to buying alcohol with what little money he could scrounge up doing odd jobs. But he, too, found himself in the same park as Abrahamson that fateful day. Upon seeing the blonde woman sitting alone, Kocula was smitten immediately and worked up the courage to talk to her.

By the way he was dressed, Abrahamson could tell Kocula was homeless, yet she carried on a conversation with him. Little by little, she was taken in by the conversation and laughed at his jokes. When it came time to part, he told her to meet him again at the same bench the next week. Abrahamson was intrigued but debated over whether it was appropriate for her to return.

Casting aside her doubts, Abrahamson decided to meet Kocula again. She told The Sun:

“On the one hand, I was put off by his disheveled appearance. But there was something about him that was so intriguing that I wanted to meet him again.”

In the meantime, Kocula had managed to pull together some cash to buy foot cream so Abrahamson would not be put off by the stench. The plan appeared to have worked as the two reunited and spent the day getting to know one another.

Abrahamson returned to Vienna, unsure of what would become of their blossoming romance. But by hook and by crook, Kocula managed to get himself to Austria, where he greeted his lady love with a simple, “I’m here.”

Some two years later, the unlikely pair would find themselves walking down the aisle in a castle wedding. Two years after that, they would become happy parents to twins Desta and Til. Kocula also decided to enroll in university, and after studying for five years, is now a mechanical engineer.

As for Abrahamson, she would switch gears from acting to writing, penning the book “How to Fall In Love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush,” a “feel-good” fictional novel based slightly on their own peculiar love story.

Since going public with their story, Abrahamson has been questioned about why she was not initially put off by a homeless man trying to chat her up.

“I’m willing to talk to anyone and I think everyone should be. I don’t judge people, you know, and he was friendly and he made me laugh,” she explained.

Their beautiful journey goes to show that judging a book by its cover isn’t always the best move, while being open and giving people chances can go a long way.

apost.com

What do you think of Emmy Abrahamson and Wiktor Kocula’s unconventional romance? Do you have a memorable story about meeting someone for the first time? Let us know and pass this on to family and friends.