Bruce James, 61, and Julia Piedra Gutierrez, 57, met in 1998 in Costa Rica, when he mistook her for a girl he had met at a party. They now live in Honolulu, but are currently separated by the coronavirus pandemic
After 10 years working as a merchant seaman in the US, Bruce James left his job in 1997 to move to San Jose, Costa Rica. He held a party the year after in October to celebrate his newfound freedom. “I met a beautiful Dutch woman called Julia,” he says. “I had a girlfriend at the time, but she stood out.” Several weeks later, he and his girlfriend attended a concert. “I spotted the girl from the party again, so I went over to say hello.” He soon found out it was a case of mistaken identity.
Julia Piedra Gutierrez, who was from Costa Rica, was waiting for her date and had no idea who Bruce was. “I saw this American guy looking at me. He was wearing this horrible old leather jacket,” she laughs. “He called me by my name and I had to explain that he was mistaken. Then his girlfriend came over and also thought I was the Dutch Julia.” They laughed about the misunderstanding. “I was a single mum with a busy career, and I’d planned my first date in ages. When my date turned up, he brought his wife. Apparently, they were separating, but still friends. It was an absolute nightmare.” She admits she wishes she could have spent the night with the “badly dressed” American instead.
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