Quite simply, "It was love at first sight," said my friend, Dr. Brad. Dr. Bruce had been to Miami from Portland, Maine on dates before and this would be special. The point of the trip was no big secret as a ring size had to be determined, the timing and the setting would be. While Bruce was expecting the question to be popped at a formal dinner on Saturday, Brad drove him directly from the airport to Ditmar's new venture, D-Bar in the back bar. We had been planning this for a week, when his son, Gabe, and I arrived we sighed with relief that we were in place and it was but an hour away.

there was a ring, of course; a white gold and diamond band. It was stunning.

Brad "sang" a love song in sign language as Bruce had recently expressed amazement that he knew it. And in a classic scene as the room hushed, Brad went on his knee and proposed marriage. When we heard "I do" the crowd roared with approval because they knew all that champagne would now be opened. :-)

Gabe had flown down from Washington DC to surprise his dad. He gave a moving tribute to both Brad and Bruce whom he got to know over the phone in the past weeks.

I told Brad and Bruce yesterday when I saw them between thunderstorms, that Gabe had a serious case of hero worship toward his day. "He's a good kid," Brad replied. Gabe will be Best Man at their beach wedding I'm planning.

Gabe will have two fathers.

And, as I've said many times before, may love flourish here and everywhere else under its many forms.