Like all great love stories, ours began on a free internet dating website. I first messaged Rose in March of 2020 with the observation that Jojo Rabbit was also the last movie that I had seen in theaters. Neither of us suspected that this was the start of a seven-month correspondence. Pictures may have provided an initial spark of attraction, but what kept us talking was our discovery that, despite having grown up on opposite ends of the Pacific, we shared much in common: a love of literature and classic films, a passion for health care, and a devotion to our families and spiritual values. Historians may recall that March of 2020 also witnessed the birth of another dubious love affair: one between the United States population and a virus named SARS CoV-2. This prolonged our pen pal-ship considerably, but by October, Rose and I agreed that (a) the pandemic was not, in fact, ending any time soon, and (b) our fingers were sore from typing, and so we agreed to meet up the old-fashioned way, in person. Our first date began as planned at Three Bees Coffee in San Mateo, but some combination of nervousness and a poor sense of direction (another trait we share) placed us in line for the ice cream place next door. I was confused when the guy behind the counter said that they had no coffee. No problem, coffee ice cream was close enough. I remember thinking Rose was rather beautiful despite the mask she wore, while Rose would later recall noticing that my butt was accurately represented in my online photos. Our caffeine and conversation propelled us to the rose garden at a nearby park, where we talked until the sun fell low in the sky. I offered some variation of "It's getting late, you probably need to be getting back home," providing Rose a chance to escape. Here Rose recalls that she feared our date and courtship were coming to an end. "Unless, by chance, you're hungry and want to get something to eat." We ended up at a Thai restaurant. Our first date lasted eight hours, ended with our first kiss in the aforementioned park, and marked the beginning of something special. Please join us this October in our quest to make Redie Rose Estrella's name as alliterative as possible.