Sunday, April 30, 2017. It was a warm 67 degrees in New York City as Brontë stood in her Harlem apartment getting ready for church. Today was different. At the prompting of her stake president* during her bi-yearly temple recommend** interview, she was about to attend a new congregation. Tying her hair and straightening her dress, Brontë nervously anticipated her experience. Only 47 blocks south, in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Robert straightened his tie and tucked in his recently ironed white shirt. A few harrowing months behind him, he was ready to resume a sense of normalcy, with no thought of relationships on his mind. Both Robert and Brontë went to church that afternoon, sitting only a few rows apart, but it was not until later that afternoon their paths were destined to cross.
Brontë, having had no one talk to her, was ready to leave after sacrament*** service concluded, returning to her own congregation the following week. As she approached the elevator to leave, a strong feeling came over her to stay, at least through Sunday School, which she did. Robert, the congregation’s clerk, was about to train a new assistant clerk, but as he walked into the office, he felt a desire to go to Sunday School. He postponed the training until the third hour. Walking into the “bad” Sunday School classroom, windowless and artificially lit, far from a romantic scene, his eyes immediately caught Brontë’s. He continued walking, turning again to see her large eyes peering directly into his, smiling, and intrigued. Time seemed to stop, much like the cliché romantic moments one reads about but passes as straight fiction. He approached, they spoke, and the wheels of fate were set into motion.
Robert and Brontë spoke every day leading up to their first date, Friday, May 5th at Tavern on the Green. Without realizing it, both ordered the same dish, salmon, and following dinner the pair spent two hours talking under the warm moon and the flickering lights emanating from Lincoln Center. Several dates, and only 8 days later, Robert and Brontë shared their first kiss after an evening on Broadway seeing The School of Rock. It did not take long for them to realize how much they shared; the same sense of humor (pretty snarky and wry), a love for the outdoors and history, and a similar worldview.
It would not be long until their love was tested. Robert was admitted to the hospital in mid June as a result of complications from a procedure he received at another hospital earlier that year. He became unstable, necessitating emergency surgery and a week-long unconscious ventilation, after which he would remain in the hospital until July. Brontë came to his bedside every day, spending at times 10-12 hours in the ICU with Robert though he could not see or hear her. When he awoke, she was the first person he saw, and the smiles and tears of joy that were shared emanated throughout the room. Their relationship gained new meaning though the ordeal. Selfless love became an apparent trait, and though the experience was the most difficult both ever faced, they faced it together, becoming so much stronger as individuals and as a couple.
The following months were filled with nights out in New York City, vacations to Maine, Wildwood (NJ), and Washington State, and nights-in cuddling together to episodes of Sherlock and The Legend of Korra (we’re just eclectic like that). Their love grew deeper each day, and very natural conversations about marriage began. There existed, and still exists, a closeness and comfort that normally takes years to develop. During a long weekend trip to Washington, DC, Robert proposed to Brontë December 16, 2017 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They concluded the evening with a dinner for two at The Hay-Adams’ Lafayette restaurant.
Looking towards the future, Robert and Brontë are preparing to to be sealed for time and for all eternity in the Manhattan, New York Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on June 9, 2018. Words cannot describe the tremendous nature of an eternal commitment, but they are ready to take on new challenges and grow together both in this life and the next life.
*Stake President: In the Mormon Church, the chief priest overseeing a region of congregations (or stake). Akin to a Bishop in Catholicism.
**Temple Recommend: A document authorizing an individual to enter a dedicated Mormon temple and perform and witness higher-order ordinances (or sacraments). The recommend is received following an interview with the individual’s local bishop (preacher) and a member of the stake presidency (the stake president or one of his two counselors). It is renewed bi-yearly.
***Sacrament: The name given to the normal Sunday “worship” meeting in the Mormon Church. Communion is provided and members of the congregation prepare talks and sermons. Once a month, this meeting is a “testimony” meeting where anyone in the congregation may approach the pulpit and give their testimony of Jesus Christ.