The Nightmare Before Christmas

Like many couples in the digital era, Gary and Victoria met on a dating app. Actually, on more than one dating app. But the excruciating pain of a herniated disk kept Gary from checking his Tinder messages, as it would have anyone, so he never saw Victoria's first message. Luckily, when they matched a few months later on Hinge, a different app, Victoria got a response from Gary within the hour. Their first date was at Cafe Envie in the French Quarter, a fitting location for two people who'd spent the best (and worst) days of their youth on lower Decatur Street. Now old and decrepit, they decided to pursue their burgeoning love downriver in the St. Roch neighborhood, where Gary had been living less than two blocks from Victoria's childhood home for over two years. He'd been completely unaware that love was, quite literally, just around the corner. Despite Victoria's best efforts to avoid entanglement, she found herself unable to imagine life without this rare gem of a man who stood by patiently until she finally realized her great fortune. Gary proposed on August 5, 2024, a move by which Victoria was almost completely bowled over, both literally and figuratively. She immediately said yes.