This is a Lovers Lock. If you’d like to submit your own love story -and maybe have me create a personalized lock that will be added to Toronto’s Lover’s Fence- please read more about submitting here. Of course, you can always go and add your own. Toronto’s Lover’s Fence encloses Grange Park, the park behind the Art Gallery Of Ontario.

Garrett’s Love Story:

Hello Post,

Gowsk here (G-bomb in the forums). I really like the idea of a lover’s fence, and I wish my love story was one of the greatest, but it’s really mostly just nice. I’ll try to keep it as short as I can.

I grew up in a small town as a bit of a social outcast, so I never dated girls. After moving to Winnipeg for university, I tried to meet someone but I never really found anyone I was interested in, and at the ripe old age of 21 I hadn’t so much as held a girl’s hand.

I met her in the workplace. In fact, she trained me how to do my job – cue the unfunny relationship jokes if you like. We didn’t hit it off right away, but after I’d been there a few weeks she noticed my coffee cup was from the U of M. We got to talking, and found we had a mutual interest in anthropology, so she invited me to a lecture about primate skull morphology at the U of M – hot date, I know. She had to leave right after the lecture, but I managed to get an awkward silence in – you know, the good kind where you both want each other but don’t have the guts to say anything yet. As silly as it sounds, this was a tremendous success for me! I was smitten, and I had a good feeling that she was too.

We saw each other twice more, at another series of lectures at the U of W, and then at Parliament on 4/20. It was pretty bunk, so we went back to her apartment and sat around awkwardly, listening to her records. Eventually I got up the guts to ask her where she thought this was going, and one thing led to another (but not that thing, I’d just learned how to kiss for goodness’ sake), and I ended up spending the night there.

Less than three months later, I slow danced her around the cramped, cardboard box-filled bedroom we shared to our favourite song, then got down on one knee and proposed to her. I didn’t get a “Yes” – I got an “Of course I will!”

The haste of our engagement did not go unnoticed. My parents said “She seems to make you happy – but we hope you know what you’re doing.” Her parents couldn’t say anything because they were engaged just as quickly, and they’ve been together for over 25 years, but they seemed apprehensive. Most others were congratulatory, if skeptical. But as time passed, people realized that we were serious about staying in it for the long run.

We found a cozy little basement suite, settled in, and despite the many ups and downs of life, celebrated our one-year anniversary of being together last weekend. If anything, we are happier than ever, and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with the first girl I ever kissed. Love you Dee!

I guess in the end, it really is a pretty great love story.

Cheers!
Gowsk

P.S. The downside of being in a committed relationship is not being able to go out bombing whenever you like – responsibility as a lover and co-provider etc. not to get arrested/fined – hence my current low profile and interest in “legal” graffiti. Just something to keep in mind, I suppose.