Always in the same room
Birthdays, holidays, and family gatherings at a ranch outside Orlando (the name escapes us, the memories don’t) — we’ve known each other most of our lives, long before either of us was paying that kind of attention.
Two families, one community
Our families have been friends forever. Both from the same Venezuelan-Jewish community, we grew up with the same faces at the same tables. This is where Shirley began to plot.
Eliana’s birthday, on a boat
Everyone gathered on the water to celebrate Eliana. Shirley had just come back from college — and suddenly Daniel wasn’t so subtle anymore.
Partner yoga at the beach
Daniel invited Shirley to do “partner yoga” at the beach. The yoga happened, technically — and so did their first kiss.
Everyone was thrilled
When we finally got together, our families couldn’t have been happier.
Many, many years later…
(We dated for seven years.) In between came the dates, the trips, the festivals, and every activity we could sign up for.
