Connect How did your love story begin?

There was a birthday party that our mutual friends invited us to. I was 25 years old and my wife, Arlene, was 20. She remembered me from when we first met after I graduated from high school and thought I was mean. She and our friends picked me up at my mom’s house to go to the party. According to her, the moment I walked outside wearing a suit, she was immediately attracted to me. I saw her in the car and thought she looked so elegant. Eventually, I got the nerve to ask her for her number.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

There isn’t one single momentous memory that defines us a couple. Instead, we were amazed by how compatible we were from the very beginning. I took her to one of my favorite pasta places and was surprised to learn that she also loved pepperoni and pineapple pizza! I fell in love with her warmth, personality, and kind nature. She loved that I was talkative, attentive, and funny. These past 26 years have been a wonderful blur of shared experiences, and our love has only continued to grow.

What would you do with $20,000?

If you check out my Instagram, you’ll see that I’ve been surprising my wife with many romantic gestures over the years. There are still many bucket-list trips I’d love to experience with her. She loves Pride and Prejudice, and it would be wonderful to surprise her with a trip to Chatsworth House, the estate most often associated with Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley.