The closure of the Wendy’s at the center of D.C.’s infamous “Dave Thomas Circle” is bittersweet for one local couple: They shared their first kiss more than two decades ago in the drive-thru lane.
Monica and Melvin Gerald, of D.C., swung through the drive-thru on Tuesday and reminisced about the start of their 24 years together.
Monica Gerald, a Southeast D.C. native, and Melvin Gerald, who is from Mitchellville, Maryland, met in 1997 working together at the Gap store in Georgetown.
They had been on a few dates when they found themselves at the Wendy’s at Florida and New York avenues NE. They waited for their order for a while.
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“I guess when you’re waiting in a long line, you lean in and kiss,” Melvin Gerald said on Tuesday with a laugh.
“He was kinda cute and everything, and I said, ‘Why not?’ The rest is history,” Monica Gerald said.
They got married in 2001 and now have two daughters, ages 12 and 16.
Melvin and Monica Gerald at their wedding in August 2001. (Credit: Courtesy of family)
The Wendy’s in “Dave Thomas Circle” is now part of family lore, Monica Gerald said.
“There’s not a day that he passes by here with them in the car that he doesn’t say, ‘You know, this is where your mom and I had our first kiss,” she said.
The Geralds said they’re sorry to see the closure of the fast food joint on Tuesday, ahead of work to make the congested intersection simpler and safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
“It’s definitely going to be missed. It’s one of those real D.C. folk kind of things,” Monica Gerald said.
Then she blew a kiss as they pulled out of the drive-thru.
