“We” = Mc2

In December 2015, I began singing at St. Anthony Catholic Church as one of the Cantors / Choir Section Leaders. After one of my first times cantoring for the Noon mass one Sunday in early 2016, Michael came up to me and introduced himself. He was very complimentary of my voice, and quite charming. He was the answer to the exact prayer I said years before: I asked God to send me into one of his ‘houses’, bless me to glorify Him with my voice, then have the man He created for me come over to me after hearing me sing, and introduce himself. Only then would I know that this man was the one for me! For the next several months, Michael would walk me out of church each Sunday following mass. And each week, we grew closer and closer as friends, eventually becoming much more to each other.

In December 2016, Michael first asked me out for tea at The Breakers on Palm Beach, and to see their Christmas decorations. That sounded lovely, but unfortunately our schedules would not permit. So I asked Michael out for dinner the following month. Characteristically, Michael was on time to pick me up, and uncharacteristically, I was actually ready. He drove us to Nisi, a Greek restaurant in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea which sadly is no longer there. We were seated at a table in the center of the dining room, with an ideal view of the restaurant. Not long after we placed our order, the wait staff began bringing plate after plate of almost every item on the menu. They filled our table, courtesy of the owner (a very good friend of Michael’s, unbeknownst to me.) Everything was absolutely delicious. The head chef even came out to meet us, and offered to create a custom-made, over-the-top dessert platter! We talked and laughed and ate like royalty for more than 3 hours! As we left the restaurant, I assumed that the evening was over and that Michael was going to drive me home. Without saying a word, Michael proceeded to drive down the beach. I said “you do realize I live in the opposite direction of where we are heading, right?” He smiled and said “I know,” and continued on. We pulled into the driveway of The Pelican Grand Beach Resort and parked. Again, saying nothing, Michael went into the trunk to pull something out. He came around to open my door, and escorted me into the hotel lobby. I continue playing along out of sheer curiosity, all the while thinking he had some not-so-gentlemanly intentions in mind. We walked through the hotel dining room, and out to the back veranda where there were rocking chairs, tables, candles and tiki torches. Michael finally shares his plan by saying “I thought we could have tea on the beach.” We ended the evening sipping tea by moonlight, on the beach, listening to the waves. The rest is history.

Michael knew exactly where he wanted to ask the question, but didn’t know when. The ring was burning a hole in his pocket for months, but life kept pushing the opportunity further and further away: meetings, rehearsals, COVID. Finally, it was the week before Super Bowl LVII, which happened to fall on Michael’s birthday. Normally, we would celebrate with a nice quiet dinner out, but on Super Bowl Sunday, that would be challenging. Brunch following mass at The Pelican Grand Beach Resort would be the ideal alternative. It was a perfect day for brunch on the beach. After we ate, Michael moved us to another table that was more out of the way - it was the same table we sat at the night of our first date. He asked me to tell him why I wanted to marry him (I had asked that same question of him sometime before.) I went on for several minutes explaining why I thought he was perfect for me, and why we make a great team. Finally, he smiled and said, “sounds good to me”, then took a box out of his pocket and slammed it on the table! We both laughed. I said, ‘is this really happening?” He got down on one knee, and opened the box. I started crying. He asked, I said yes, and thanked him for loving me.