Emmitt and I met in 2018. Our first date was auspiciously marked by torrential rain, through which Emmitt drove almost an hour from his college campus to a restaurant less than a half mile from my college campus. I thought that maybe he'd cancel, but a few minutes after I pulled into the parking lot, so did he. I had quite literally never met a person like him before. For those of you unaware, I was raised in a town of 3,000 people, and spent most of my formative years shoveling horse manure and doing various other kinds of manual labor on a farm. Emmitt was wearing ripped skinny jeans, and complaining about how his "kicks were going to get wrecked in the rain." I had no idea what to make of him. I left feeling the same way, after he spent our first date regaling me with stories of gluing himself to the refrigerator as a kid, and similar nonsense, but also talking about how much he loves his mom, and paying genuine attention to me.

On the surface, Emmitt and I don't make a lot of sense. I'm from Middle of Nowhere Maine, he's from a city in Pennsylvania. I spent my college years giving myself anxiety about my double major plus minor while he worked incredibly hard playing baseball and working out in the gym. He wanted a job where he could be in an office and wear a suit, and make money -- something in business or finance. I wanted to be a public school teacher (about the opposite). He has more shoes than I've seen in my entire life. I rotate about three pairs, and when they die, I replace them with exactly the same shoes.

It became clear pretty soon, though, that that didn't matter. Emmitt and I aren't really big gesture people. Instead, he asked me out officially with a card that had a butt on it. He does things like carrying a chauffeur sign when picking me up at the airport to make me smile (and telling me what he's wearing just in case I've forgotten what he looks like). Or going to Walgreens for emergency soy sauce and coming back with crunchy Cheetos, lime Bubly, and chocolate ice cream. He listens to every single random thing I tell him -- and remembers. He could answer pretty much any trivia question about me correctly, despite having a thought process that is nothing like my own.

We met in March. That first summer after, I wasn't sure I was ever going to see him again, as I set out to spend the summer in Maine, and him in Pennsylvania. It seemed like an insurmountable distance for a new relationship. But only a few weeks later, he was driving nine hours to Maine to see me, and meet my family. Since then, he has never stopped putting in the effort. He has never stopped listening, or doing the little things to show he cares, or encouraging me. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him (shoes and all).

2018 seems like forever ago. I was visiting home virtually every weekend, working out every day, and only caring about the classes that I found an interest in or were relevant to my business degree. When we met on our first date, I was nervous to put it lightly. I instantly thought that she was out of my league. When we first locked eyes, it is very cliched but all I saw was her, not the cars in the parking lot of the crappy Italian restaurant (that had 4.6 reviews at the time). She has the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen with the most beautiful smile to complement her eyes. All I could muster up were the words “my kicks are getting wrecked." Which unfortunately is par for the course. No matter how many lines I used on the drive to Gettysburg from my college, it could not stop me from being me.

I knew she was the one since she instantly rolled with “my kicks are getting wrecked,” and she was straight up in telling me that if I tried any funny business, she will key my eyes out. Soon we were one of the few remaining customers in the restaurant, and we had conversations that made me think we met in a past life somewhere (if you believe in that). Conversations came easy and the laughter was endless, even though time flew by, it also seemed to slow down as we enjoyed each other’s company. Do I regret not kissing her after the first date? A little bit but I wanted to be a bit of a tease and hopefully keep her interested haha.

There were nights we talked about our future constantly, from living together, moving to a different state together, getting married, and we both agreed we’d cross that bridge when we got there. The first time she went back to Maine for the summer, I had this feeling she thought I would not make the drive to see her. Which is totally understandable; Maine is 8hrs away from PA and who would make that drive? It’s insane to drive 8hrs for your college girlfriend. Well, a little bit about me, when I am invested in someone and something, I commit to it 100% and give everything I have before turning the other way. So, I made that drive almost every other weekend over the summer. Was it ridiculous? I mean a little bit but boy was it worth it. Seeing her smile, having her run into my arms and hug me. To me, it always felt like one of the scenes from the hallmark Christmas movies.

Honestly, since Anita came into my life, nothing but greatness has come, and I have changed for the better. I did not think I was ever going to get married and I did not think my goal of moving out of PA was ever going to happen. However, here I am planning a wedding, calling her my wife even though we have around 10-11 months before we officially tie the knot, and I did move out of PA and while still visiting my loved ones as much as I can. With all the craziness going on around us, I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth to have her to come home to, wake up and sleep next to, and love for the rest of my time on this little rock hurling through space.

Rice is love, gelato is life!