Years before people connected on dating apps like Match and Tinder, in 1998, 18-year-old Tina Marie Polson (then Lezcano) connected with Micheal Polson in a chat room.
Before the introduction of TikTok and smartphones, people chatted with strangers in chat rooms on AOL and AIM on clunky computers. Chatrooms were places you could virtually go to virtually interact with other people by choosing from one of many categories and enter a chatroom to find other like-minded people.
“We met in a chat room for cowboys and cowgirls because we both liked country music,” said Tina Marie, who lived in Tampa at the time while Polson lived in Brandon.
To send Polson a photo of herself, she went to Kinko’s (now FedEx Office) to scan a picture she could email to him. He sent her a photo too.
Even though they were both hesitant to meet in person, curiosity got the best of them and, in June 1998, they met in person. “I remember that moment like it was yesterday, standing there in front of the movie theater, heart racing, butterflies in my stomach,” she said. “He had this smile that just melted me, and he literally had me from hello.”
Driving away that night, she knew he was the love of her life.
On Feb. 9, they celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary, although in an untraditional way since Tina Marie has COVID and is in quarantine.
“He still managed to sneak some flowers and cake into my room,” she said. “Life may not have always taken us down easy roads, but I am so very lucky to have had my best friend by my side through it all.”