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Articles and Information
A Vegan Love Story
by Shayla Roberts
February 2003
When we think of Valentine's Day, we think of love, flowers, and romance. It actually marks the anniversary of the death of a priest who believed in marriage so much he had to die for it. In the third century, Roman Emporer Claudius II was having trouble getting his men to leave their wives and children to fight battles, so he banned marriages. Valentine continued to marry couples and was imprisoned. It is said he befriended the daughter of a prison guard, and when he was taken to be executed, he left her a note signed "from your Valentine." The mid-February festival of Lupercalia, celebrating fertility and sensuality, became replaced by St. Valentine's Day as the Church tried to do away with pagan holidays. Valentine had been made a saint due to his sacrifice for love.
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For Mark and Adrienne Calloway, their relationship was also brought about by a tragedy of sorts. It involved an accident that nearly took the life of Adrienne's dog, Camper. Mark happened to be driving the car that hit Camper and it took an extensive rescue to release the dog from the underside of Mark's vehicle. Mark accompanied Adrienne to the animal hospital, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Adrienne: "Mark was in shock. I didn't know it at the time, but he was a vegan, and the idea that he could have possibly killed an animal, even on accident, was more than he could bear. I think that I ended up comforting him more that night, even though it should have been the other way around."
Mark: "No, it's just that I lived my whole life around doing everything in my power to avoid causing any pain or suffering to animals, and in doing something as simple as driving home, I had done that very thing."
Adrienne: "I was not even a vegetarian at the time, let alone vegan, so when I found out that Camper was okay, I was on cloud nine. I really didn't get why Mark, who didn't even know me or Camper, was acting like it was the end of the world. That's when he explained to me that he was a vegan, and what that meant to him. Before, I had always thought of vegetarians as being the ultra-political protest marchers. What got me about Mark, was that he meant it. I could tell he totally meant every word he said, that he loved animals, and the cruelty they faced broke his heart. It was a real eye-opener for me."
Mark: "We dated for about one month when Adrienne came to me with her decision to be vegan, and another two months when we got engaged."
Adrienne: "I couldn't see Mark being serious about anybody unless they were willing to make at least an effort in that direction [veganism], because he was so serious about it. It was his life. For me to make that decision, was my way of saying that I understand how he feels. Plus, it was no hardship for me. I feel healthier and more at peace because of it."
Mark and Adrienne are now planning an all-vegan wedding for April. When asked if Camper would be a part of the celebration, Adrienne replied, "Of course! After all he had to go through for us to meet, he deserves it. He's our little matchmaker."
Shayla Roberts is a stay-at-home, AP mom to Holden.
Her husband, Boyd, is an operator for Michelin. They
live in Oklahoma.
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