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Traveling on the Thruway of Love

"My name is Michael Fazio and I'm here with my lifelong partner and dearest friend, Sonya Baker."

That's how a recent story told by Michael Fazio and Sonya Baker began, in Murray, Ky. But the story of how their relationship began has a much more unique starting point: a tollbooth.

The pair first met on the thruway, where Fazio worked for 17 years as a toll collector. And what started as an innocent flirtation eventually evolved into secret signs -- and an offer of dinner.

Baker and Fazio have since gotten married, and they can agree on at least one thing: They'll be traveling together from now on.

Throughout the country, StoryCorps is recording the memories and conversations of everyday people. The interviews are archived at the Library of Congress and played on Morning Edition.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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