In the throes of a global pandemic with a lock-down still under way, who could have imagined that two complete strangers would find themselves thrust into a modern day romance? From the comfort of home, and with no real intent, Anna found herself entering the magical realm of Facebook Dating. After passing on hundreds of banal businessmen, frumpy fellas holding fish, and more than a dozen dudes named Dustin; one profile in particular caught her eye: a man named David with a very kind smile. Instantly, the messages were paragraphs long. Conversation felt easy. They met briefly over video chat and agreed to meet in person the following weekend. What we all assumed would be a simple coffee date at Roebling Point Books & Coffee turned into eight hours of food, drink, and lots of smiles. By dinner, David had already planned their second date. And the story continues...

One year to the day of our first conversation, David proposed! It was a year full of surprises, adventures, and copious amounts of coffee. Being together was, in a word, easy. From the start it seemed that everything fell into place. We share a lot of interests and have already spent countless hours reading together, taking weekend trips, watching films and performances. Despite all the hardships taking place around us, we found ourselves buoyed by one another's presence and I, for one, couldn't be happier to face the world with this incredible partner. David had my whole family in on the proposal, and despite knowing it was coming eventually, he still managed to surprise me. As he does with everything. He took me out to dinner to the same place as our first date and we planned to stop back at my folks' place before grabbing ice cream. Mom and my brother Adam were "practicing music" in the living room, and under the guise of having written new material, Adam offered to share a new piece with us. David and I settled in to listen. As Adam played, David suddenly erupted into song. My initial thought was "What the hell are you doing? You're interrupting his piece!" After a moment, I realized it was intentional, though it wasn't until my other brother Alexander burst forth from the closet with accompanying vocals that I fully understood what was unfolding. With Mom and Dad capturing the scene on video and my two sisters-in-law emerging as well to bear witness, I was utterly overwhelmed. By songs end, David knelt before me with a precious little box and a question that I already knew the answer to. It was a moment I'll always cherish.