It was 7 in the morning Tucson time when Bill Haller called John Jackson from his hotel in Paris.
"Did you hear the news? Did you hear the news?" Bill asked excitedly.
"I haven't even woken up yet," John said.
So, he got some coffee and Bill got him up to speed on how the Supreme Court didn't raise any objections to universally legalizing gay marriage.Β
"I think we should do it," Bill told him. "I think we should get married."
After they hung up, Bill sent John a text: Will you marry me? X for yes.
John pressed the x button and didn't let go.
That was October 2014.
The couple met in the summer of 1987 and dated for a couple months before breaking it off.
Over the years they'd bump into each other at community events. But in November 2004 they decided to date again after bumping into each other at a local bar the night of the All Souls Procession.
"I was in a 13-year relationship that ended with my partner dying so I got into this zen Buddhism stuff trying to make sense of all of that," Bill said. "For some reason the Day of the Dead procession really spoke to me. That's why I was out that night."
John had gotten off work early from American Airlines that night so he decided to go have a beer and play some pool.
"We ran into each other and I thought 'oh, he'll go home with me,'" Bill said.
"We had seen each other over the years at events and things so it wasn't the first time we had laid eyes on each other, but the timing was perfectly aligned and it was meant to be," John said. "It was so random. We could have totally missed each other."
They started dating exclusively right away. They were both ready to settle down.
"We knew at that point," John said. "He was well situated and I was in a good frame of mind to get something started, so we went from there."
They got married in their backyard with 150 good friends the night of the All Souls Procession in November 2014.Β
Festivities included the Jewish wedding tradition of smashing the glass Β β to honor John's mother who escaped Nazi Germany when she was 14 β and the tradition of jumping the broom which symbolizes entering a committed domestic situation.
Bill and John LOVE Valentine's Day. So much so, they mailed out 64 Valentine's Day cards this year. And, they say they decorate more for Valentine's Day than they do for Christmas or Halloween.
This year they're hosting the Valentine's Day dinner for the gay group they belong to called Tuesday Soire.Β
"I remember being 8 years old and one of my favorite memories was making that shoe box you put the Valentine's cards in," Bill recalled. "I loved that."
John's father always made sure the kids got something for their mother for Valentine's Day, birthdays and other holidays.Β
"The year he died I sent her a Valentine and I went to visit them and he was just so sick and he goes 'thank you for sending a Valentine for your mother, but you know, dads like Valentine's too and it just skewered me through the heart," Bill said. "You always focus on the ladies...It resonated with me when he said that. He was very vulnerable. He wasn't mad or anything, he just said 'you know, guys like Valentines, too.'"
To celebrate Valentine's Day, we are telling Tucson's best love stories for the first 14 days of February.
First impressions
Bill: I'm very practical and John was driving a 15- to- 20-year-old car and had bought a house and I was quite impressed with both of those.
John: I have this thing for guys from the midwest and he's from Kansas City...Because I knew him from before, I knew he was this smart rock-solid guy, funny and sassy as hell, and I knew it was gonna be for the long haul. It was just a gut feeling.
Favorite quality
Bill: John is awesome to travel with. He knows every king and queen of Europe. John traveled a lot as a kid. His parents lived overseas and they went to Germany every year. He's been around the world...It's sort of a nice comfort. And just knowing somebody for that long is important to me.Β
John: I like the fact that he's a real straight shooter. Very blunt. He's a smart ass. He can get people to tell him anything. If you want gossip, you go to him.
Bill: It's amazing what people tell me.
John: People open up to you...And he's extremely passionate about the causes he believes in. He's been a member of the group putting up the Center on Fourth.
Bill: We've raised almost 87 percent of our $1.8 million goal.
John: He was very involved with Wingspan when it was around and very involved with SAAF (Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation). He gets into things he really truly believes in.Β
Quirky or endearing habit
Bill: John was in foster care for the first seven years of his life. That's pretty old to be adopted. His foster mother made sure he felt loved. She asked John when he was a little boy what kind of birthday cake he wanted. He said 'I want pineapple upside down cake.' Then the Jacksons came and adopted him later. His mother was a terrible cook. She said 'what do you want for your birthday cake.' He said 'pineapple upside down cake.' She goes 'you're gonna get a box cake. That's too hard.' So I make sure he gets a pineapple upside down cake.
John: Endearing thing would be, Bill was never a pet person, far from it. But, he had congestive heart failure 12 years ago and my dog became his life line to get him into exercising and walking and I thought it was very sweet how he connected with this little animal to get better. It was very touching.Β
I love that now that he's retired, he's like watching tv and day drinking. He's watching Wendy Williams.
Bill: She told me who that Kim Kardashian was.
John: He's obsessed. He goes, 'you'll never believe what I saw on Wendy today. She was on fire.'"
Being grandparents
Bill: My daughter thought John was too young to be a grandpa, so our grandson calls him tio.Β
John: We've spent a lot of time with him because his mom worked at How Sweet it Was and graddad was right around the corner. We never expected we would have that experience. Michelle was 40 when he was born. We never thought we'd be involved with a baby or small toddler. We sort of grew with this kid. It was probably one of the most intense experiences ever.Β
He (Bill) and the grandson take little boxes of chocolates to all the ladies at the bank. He's done that for a few years.
Bill: I'm silently teaching him about gratitude and giving to someone else. He calls them the bank ladies.
Advice for other couples
Bill: Sow your wild oats while you're young because everybody is gonna go through those wild stages and it's much more attractive doing those things in your 20s than when you're 45.
John: I'm a firm believer that if you feel in long term that you really not just love this person but if you really love them as a friend, like you would have them as a friend even if you weren't together, I think you really have what it takes to go the distance. You have to like somebody as a friend to love them as a partner.
