We're getting married! (ne casatorim!!!)

Tom and Luana first met in Providence, during a busy Saturday morning in March, at the bakery where Luana worked as a barista while completing her master’s degree. Luana had moved to Providence six months earlier, in September 2020. Tom had been there since August 2019, starting his Ph.D at Brown right after finishing his bachelor’s degree. Madrid European Bakery, in Wayland Square, was actually right around the corner from Tom’s apartment. At the time though, Tom didn’t drink coffee and ventured in by chance while walking through the city with his aunt Jackie and cousin Kimmie. Their first interaction went something like this: “What can I get you?” “Well, I’m not sure, can you tell me what these are?” said Tom, pointing to the display of mini pastries. “Sure,” she said. Since the bakery didn’t have any labels, Luana was used to rattling off the names and contents of the custard-filled treats. Tom didn’t order a drink, but there was something that made Luana want to steal a glance back at him, even while she was rushing to complete the slew of other orders piling up. It turns out that someone – Tom’s aunt – noticed this, and texted him right after they left, telling him he might want to go back and talk to the girl who was “making eyes at him.” Tom returned later that same day, prepared with the line that started it all: “Those pastries you gave me earlier made me sleepy, so I thought I would come back for a coffee.” The morning rush had subsided, so they had more of an opportunity to talk. They realized they were both students at Brown. Tom was from a small town in New Hampshire (“more cows than people,” he said), and Luana had grown up mainly around Chicago. The conversation tapered off and Tom seemed a little nervous, so Luana said, “Can I give you my phone number?” At the time, Brown University students living and working on campus had to get tested for COVID once or twice a week, so Tom texted Luana asking if she wanted to meet at the campus testing center and then go out for ice cream. The site of their first date, Three Sisters Ice Cream on Hope Street, is still a favorite spot. When they ended up at Paper Nautilus bookstore in Wayland Square and Tom purchased a book for Luana that she said she’d been wanting to read, it started to feel like things were off to a promising start. As they talked, they discovered they had both studied abroad in Spain and spoke Spanish. Luana shared that she was from Romania, and Tom said, “Like the dragons in Harry Potter?” Over the next few months, they bonded over a shared love of books, languages and long walks. Luana loved that Tom knew so much about so many different things, and that he was always eager and willing to learn more. Bit by bit, Tom started learning Romanian, surprising her with new phrases as he added to his vocabulary and making her laugh as he created little songs to remember new words. She realized she may have found the person whose zeal for exploring the world was just as bright as hers. Tom loved Luana’s empathy and curiosity, realizing she was willing to try anything at least once –– from difficult hikes in the White Mountains to weird new Instagram recipes, and moving across states and countries if it seemed like it could be an interesting adventure. Over the course of the next few years, they traveled together to Quebec City, Montreal, New Mexico, D.C, Romania, Paris, and Athens, always making sure to explore the bookstores. Tom drinks coffee now, as he completes his Ph.D and plans to join Luana in Washington D.C for their next chapter. They’re not crazy about leaving Rhode Island, where they have so many wonderful memories surrounded by lifelong friends. But wherever life takes them next, they're certain of two things: They'll always have Providence, and they will always have each other.