A Pineapple Jack-o'-Lantern Started It All

New York Times

19 hours ago

John Paul Nothaft and Sarah Margaret Berger hit it off when they met at a mutual friend's Halloween party in 2016. Both were students at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York, and crossed paths around campus, but had never spoken. Mr. Nothaft was a graduate student studying to be an organist, while Ms. Berger, a junior, was studying the violin.
'John had a kindness about him the couple of times I had seen him, so when a friend introduced us, it wasn't hard to get a conversation going,' said Ms. Berger, who came to the party dressed like Wednesday Addams from the Addams family.
The two started talking about their families, shared love of cats and favorite music. 'I liked Sarah's similar sense of humor,' said Mr. Nothaft, who donned a taco costume. 'We kept our conversation going for hours. I was impressed that Sarah liked organ music.'
Ms. Berger was also impressed: 'I've always considered the organ a demanding instrument to play.'
They eventually headed to Mr. Nothaft's off-campus apartment, across from Ms. Berger's dorm. There, he asked her if he could kiss her. 'I had never had someone ask me so formally,' Ms. Berger said. 'It felt gentlemanly.'
He texted her the next day and asked if she would join him in carving a pineapple like a jack-o'-lantern in the spirit of Halloween. 'I'm a goofy person,' Mr. Nothaft said, 'and I thought carving a pineapple would be more unique than a pumpkin.'
Ms. Berger was game. 'I remember thinking that John was unlike anyone I'd ever met,' she said.
They made plans for another date and met a week later to see their school production of Benjamin Britten's opera 'The Turn of the Screw.' 'I wasn't sure John would enjoy it, but we both loved it,' Ms. Berger said.
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