Michael Keith’s Valentine’s Day dessert was extra sweet this year.
His partner of seven years, Robert Pierce, proposed Feb. 14 — with the help of some chocolate cake.
The week of the holiday, Pierce called to make reservations at their favorite restaurant, Paloma, where they’re friendly with the husband and wife owners, who eagerly made room on their reservation list when they learned of his plan.
“They make all the desserts there themselves and they know Michael always orders dessert so I said, ‘When you bring it out, can you write on it, ‘Michael, will you marry me?’ And she said, ‘Oh my god! You’re going to be here Saturday night no matter what!’ And she made sure to get us a table.”
During their dinner, Keith jokingly chided Pierce for not having proposed yet.
“They sat the plate down and I held out the ring, and for once in his life Michael was quiet,” laughed Pierce. “I thought he’d go right for the bling, but he was just staring at the plate. So finally everyone in the restaurant was like, ‘Say yes!’ and he did.”
“I was shocked,” Keith said. “Shocked and elated.”
The couple is planning to wed locally next summer.
They met in July 2008 at a wine and cheese party, where they talked for two hours.
“I thought he was charismatic, intelligent, very well-spoken, just very sweet,” Keith said about their first encounter.
The couple started dating shortly afterwards. Pierce said it’s been an “opposites-attract” type of scenario.
“He’s the complete opposite of me,” he said. “I’m very intense, organized, detail-driven, a Type A personality, and Michael’s the complete opposite, which is good.”
Keith, 32, a native of Northeast Philadelphia, works in the mental-health field. Pierce, 55, grew up in Coudersport, Pa., and works in human resources. The couple lives in Queen Village.
Pierce is a wine collector and together the couple enjoys trying new wines and foods, as well as traveling; they’ve been to such locales as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, France, Egypt and Greece.
Keith said good communication, and understanding of both their strengths and weaknesses, has helped them stay strong.
“It’s important to accept one’s flaws because no one can be perfect,” Keith said.
Pierce added that keeping an open mind, and a healthy sense of humor, has also been key.
“You need to be able to laugh a lot. Even when things get tough, being able to laugh helps,” he said. “And you have to be open to new ideas, new things and new approaches.”