by Anthony Corona and Gabriel Lopez Kafati
Anthony:
I was so new in my blindness journey when I received an unconventional plea from a friend from my recent guide dog class: Please share a room with me for ACB convention. Having had a not so pleasant experience with the other organization, I was not really stoked to go, but with a little convincing, off to Rochester I went…
Gabriel:
I was getting ready for another busy convention, packed with BPI events that I would have to manage, and filling my calendar with general session commitments, workshops, and social gatherings. I had received a text message from a friend telling me that someone was interested in joining BPI, and that if I could please look out for him.
Once in Rochester, I received another text message from this Anthony Corona, asking me all sorts of questions about BPI and our events. I replied to a few of his messages, but then asked him if he had access to the convention calendar, and reminded him that he could find all BPI and other valuable convention information there.
Anthony: The Meet
Picture it, an AIRA break-out session, and I am in the back of the room giving the poor AIRA representative a hard time over access offers when the next questioner stands and introduces himself! My heart literally skipped beats as this hypnotic, melodic voice begins to build so much more succinctly and intelligently on the point I was trying to get across. In that moment I just knew I had to meet this guy.
Now let me digress a bit and fill you all in on the fact that unbeknownst to me I was already texting with the velvety smooth voiced gentleman when I was hit with the lightning bolt of love at first sound!! I had been seeking information from him with varying degrees of success, LOL. So to my surprise when I reluctantly paid my entrance fee at the door of the BPI mixer later that weekend, when what should nearly cause a stroke in my already rapidly beating heart were the words I will forever hear in my mind and heart. “Good evening, welcome to BPI. I am Gabriel, president.” Could this velvet smooth voice be both the hottie from the AIRA session and the guy avoiding my texts? Oh, it would be a night to remember.
Gabriel:
I remember hearing his voice at an early Saturday morning AIRA session. I said to myself: “He sounds interesting;” however, my predominant thought was: “This guy is stealing my questions!” As it was a very busy time for me, I left the meeting room rather quickly so I could pick up my registration packet next door.
The following evening, during the BPI mixer, I was greeting folks around the room and introduced myself to this gentleman who was sitting in one of the couches at the BPI hospitality suite. I noticed he was confused, perhaps a bit befuddled. After a few minutes into our conversation, I felt intrigued by him. We let our guide dogs, Posh and Boaty, say hi to each other; and then, noticing that there were other guests that required or wanted my attention, I asked him: “Can you hold Posh for a minute?” He happily agreed. As president of an affiliate, I made my rounds and made sure everyone was having a good time, while occasionally checking on him, and on my pup, of course. During one of those check-ins, he told me he needed to take Boaty out, and I said to myself: “Yeah, he won’t be back, but oh well; his loss.”
Anthony:
As the evening progressed, I was treated to a high level of attention from president Gabriel, to my delight. However, there were a few other gentlemen vying for my attention, and suddenly I was overwhelmed. This guy Gabriel was so charming, smart, and boy, did his voice and flirting hit me in all the right spots. Having no idea how much responsibility it is to carry a convention program at that time, I was also wrestling with his lackluster text performance and what that said about him as a person. That and these other guys wanting to help me make the most of convention and my head was spinning. I had to get out for a little fresh air and time to plot my next move.
Gabriel:
As I continued working the mixer, I was multi-tasking with last-minute arrangements for some of the other BPI events, and probably driving Janet Dickelman crazy along the process. Since I had noticed that Anthony was getting some attention from another gentleman, I said to myself: “I really like him, but I am not competing for him, and I am definitely not lapsing on my duties for him!” I guess something in my heart was telling me that I did not want to let him get away, so I decided to take the rest of my planning calls out in the hallway, where I could hear him, in case he decided to make his way back as he had promised.
My mind and attention were split between arranging grocery runs for wine tastings and thinking how long he was taking to come back. I also thought to myself, perhaps he has already made plans with someone else? I had made it clear that my time was all tied up for the following week. I also thought that perhaps it was best for him to spend his first convention with someone who could dedicate more time to go on tours with him and just having typical convention fun. Something in my heart kept telling me that I shouldn’t give up; that this guy had really sparked an interest in me; that I really wanted to get to know him better.
Anthony:
This is as honest as I can get, there really was no decision to make. I was already head over heels for the guy. I just had to go back into that suite and play it cool. I would maximize the flirt and end the night with the goose flesh-inducing Gabe. So I stepped off the elevator and turned into the hall towards the suite and to my utter surprise and delight there was my crush waiting nervously outside the party pacing the floors. Were you waiting for me, I asked. He was!! Nervous chatter and banter led to what has been the very best first kiss of my life!! I was already so hooked on the guy, and bonus I was crazy in love with his perfect princess of a guide dog, Posh. Double Bonus: My guide Boaty was already snout over paws for her and Gabe too! This marked the beginning of a week to remember. Great nights talking, laughing and of course kissing. A little jealous plotting from one of those other gentlemen and the realizing that there was something real to capture and hold onto if we’re both brave enough to do so. Was it really love at first sound? No one will ever convince me otherwise, but I digress… Take it from here, honey.
Gabriel:
I was pacing up and down in front of the BPI suite when I heard that voice! I heard him saying, “Boaty, right, right.” My heart skipped a beat. I started wrapping up my call and tried to sound more surprised to see him back. We engaged in conversation around various topics; I talked about fashion and described my attire to him. The conversation grew more personal, and at that moment it struck me: I liked him! A lot! I had so many commitments and I did not want to make any promises I couldn’t keep, but I wanted to give him a token of my interest, so I said to myself: “Why not?” Before we went back into the suite, I wrapped my right hand around the back of his neck and gave him the sweetest of kisses.
From that moment on, I felt like we were a couple. We stuck together throughout every part of each other’s convention experience. He helped me clean up the BPI suite; he took care of Posh while I took care of organizational business; I introduced him to folks. We had meals together, and we spent endless evenings together. Many times, I was so tired that I simply fell asleep on his shoulder or chest. By the end of the week, it was clear that we could not go back to our respective homes without making plans for the future. Love had indubitably arrived!
Anthony and Gabriel:
Five years and counting, we still reminisce of that night in Rochester. We always think of what we both felt on that moment of our first kiss. We always laugh at how we were both pretending to be less interested in each other than what we really were. Our hearts are filled with tenderness when we remember how we fell in love with each other’s dogs, before falling in love with each other. We have grown and learned so much from each other. One of us has developed a taste for red wine and the other one of us has… developed a hard-to-achieve enthusiasm for performing during karaoke. Together, we have welcomed new members into our family, both human and canine. We are so connected that, as we write this article, we are both noticing the use, or overuse, of the word “we” in this paragraph. We may have even started planning to come back to a convention and have a certain convention coordinator become a wedding officiant. Most importantly, we will always tell this story with the fullest of hearts and the utmost fondness towards a not-so-glamorous yet charming of places as is Rochester, N.Y. We will always remember that we are indeed a “Conventional Couple!”