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Fueled by cheap coffee and sunflower seeds, Naddav walked over to UC Berkeley’s Unit 3. In his backpack, he carried fatigue, despair, and an intermediate accounting textbook. When he walked into the room, his friend and accounting guru, Kristi, grinned and said “I hope you’re ready to study for tomorrow’s big final! This is my friend, Mel, she’s also in our class and she’s here to study too.” Naddav couldn’t believe that, despite his less-than-stellar attendance record, he hadn’t previously noticed the beautiful girl standing before him. He allowed himself only a second to be taken aback by Mel, until he refocused on the task at hand. “Nice to meet you, Mel. I’m Naddav. We have about 10 hours to learn accounting. Debits go on the left and credits go on the right. What else do I need to know?” “Oh my…” said Kristi. “Let’s hit the books.” It wasn’t until several months later when Naddav saw Mel again in San Francisco, where they both lived and worked. Their friend groups gradually merged and as they saw each other more frequently, they became closer friends. Text message records show that as early as June 2013, Naddav was talking about marrying Mel. He was joking at the time, but we all know that jokes have some element of truth to them. In September 2013, Kristi, the accounting-guru-turned-match-maker, arranged for them to go on their first date together at Mel’s favorite bar, 15 Romolo. Naddav and Mel spent several hours talking and getting to know each other, but Naddav remained deep in the friend-zone. About a year later, enough was enough. Mel was freshly single and Naddav knew it was his chance. There was no definitive moment when their relationship began; it was a gradual evolution that took place over two or three weeks. But they agreed to call Halloween 2014 their anniversary. By Thanksgiving Naddav had met Mel’s entire family and by Hannukah she met his. Needless to say, the dating apps were deleted from their phones and it stayed that way.

Naddav had the surprise planned out perfectly. Friends and family were given precise times and GPS coordinates for where to be and when. But as soon as Naddav told Mel that he had the whole day planned, she immediately detected a level of planning that was way out-of-character for Naddav. Mel came to the only conclusion one can come to after four and a half years of dating: today, March 31, 2019, was going to be the day Naddav proposes. Mel didn’t reveal that she knew anything and just went along with the plan. The date began with a heavy brunch at the Comstock Saloon, in North Beach. Next, they rented bicycles at Fisherman’s Wharf and rode out to the Presidio and back, pretending to be tourists for two hours. Then Naddav suggested they walk up to Coit Tower, which offers visitors beautiful panoramic views of the Bay. When they finally reached the top, they were sweaty and out of breath. Once Naddav’s heart rate dropped back to normal he got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. Mel said yes! Just after Naddav slid the ring onto Mel’s finger, little to her surprise, both their families emerged from their hiding spots in jubilation. After the hugs were exchanged and photos taken, everybody asked Mel if she was surprised, and she admitted that she wasn’t. Naddav suggested to celebrate, they could get some pizza at the famous late-night spot, Golden Boy Pizza. Mel responded, “are you kidding me? Does it look like 3 AM on a Saturday night? We’re not going to Golden Boy.” “Okay, okay. How about this--let’s go to 15 Romolo. We can get some drinks there and they serve food,” Naddav replied. Mel agreed and they all walked down the hill to the site of their first date. When they arrived, virtually the only people in the bar (it was a Sunday afternoon, not during football season) were some of their closest friends. This was the one part of Naddav’s grand plan that Mel had not anticipated. And that was when the tears of joy actually began.