...boy meets boy, and then boy buys a drink for the other boy at a Lonely Hearts Club Ball at First Avenue. It was Valentine’s Day after all. They had a first date a few days later on February 17 at Lurcat in Downtown Minneapolis. Was Benjamin freaked out when—while en route to the restaurant—Tony texted, “I’m sorry”…? YES, he was. Was he relieved when the text was only in reference to the fact that Tony would be late (and that he wasn’t cancelling…?) YES! Well, Tony let Benjamin know who he was right from the get-go: an avid napper who once in a while catches a few Z’s right until the last minute. The rest is history. They hit it off, and yes, Benjamin stole a smooch on the first date. Tony still claims Benjamin was a racy lad for wanting to continue the evening by walking to another location for another nightcap. (And as I am writing this I only wanted to have a dessert down the street, but Tony thinks two locations on the first date must’ve been a ploy!) However, Tony hopped into a big ol’ truck Uber and said, “I’ll see you again soon!” And sure enough, the following weeks were filled with cute lil dates, a slow roll of meeting friends, and then eventually, unannounced, Tony started introducing Benjamin as his boyfriend. (It’s me again, the writer, breaking the fourth wall: when Tony started saying, “This is my boyfriend, Benjamin” …I finally asked him one night, “So we’re not going to talk about this? Am I your official boyfriend?” And in Tony’s matter-of-fact way he replied, “Well, we are, aren’t we? It’s so much easier to introduce someone that way. What do you want me to say… ‘here’s this guy that follows me everywhere, but he’s not a stalker?’” The jury’s still out if the the term “boyfriend” is a term of endearment from Tony, or a word of convenience. Tony, if you’re reading this, get back to me.) Where were we? Ah! Yes: after a couple years they decided to move in together (which the pandemic only expedited by 2 months), but nothing like seeing one another 3-4 days a week to BEING BY EACH OTHER 24/7 IN LOCKDOWN. Benjamin loved harassing Tony at all hours of every day. And Tony put up with him. They created “Questions in Quarantine” together—and for over a year—Saturday nights were about being virtually together with so many wonderful folks. #NeverForgetBigDeborah If they could survive a pandemic together, they could probably survive anything together. And in October 2022, Benjamin surprised Tony with a trip to NYC under the guise of a birthday trip to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. But in actuality, he always had said, “some day, I’ll just know when it’s right to propose.” And that time was then. Tony has a favorite quote from Sex and the City about the New York Public Library: “the classic New York landmark that housed all the great love stories.” Of course, that was the entire ulterior motive for the trip: Benjamin needed to get Tony to that iconic building. So on October 29, 2022 — that’s where it happened—on the steps of the New York Public Library. And he said yes. (Plus, nothing like an impromptu photoshoot with your secret engagement photographer hiding in the crowd!) People clapped (and Tony, not to be the center of attention, ran for cover). They FaceTimed their Moms. They spread news to their fams. And then yes—they really did have to race to Harry Potter on Broadway (or as Tony said, “Wait, is Harry Potter actually happening? I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S REAL ANYMORE!”). The last 10 months have been a wonderful blur. They sent their first holiday card together. They called each other “fiancé” too much. And they booked the only single place they wanted to get married. Back where it all began: Lurcat. Ok, I am going to stop writing in the third person. I know I’m running on and on. But I think Tony is just the manifestation of everything I want in a partner (well, minus the lil tortures he causes me) and feel so lucky. We both do. October 14, 2023: we can hardly wait. 🤍