StoryCorps: Sonya Baker and Michael Fazio

Series: StoryCorps
From: StoryCorps
Length: 00:01:54

Sonya Baker talks with her husband, Michael Fazio. Read the full description.
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Piece Description

In October of 2005, Michael Fazio interviewed his "lifelong partner and dearest friend" Sonya Baker, in Murray, Kentucky. 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.

Broadcast History

NPR Morning Edition 2/10/06

Transcript

MF: My name is Michael Fazio and I’m here with my lifelong partner and dearest friend, Sonya Baker.

SB:I’m Sonya Baker and I’m here with my husband.

MF:Do you remember where we first met?

SB:Yes, of course I remember where we first met. The Thruway is where we met.

MF:I was a toll collector for about 17 years.

SB:I would drive the Thruway pretty regularly. And I saw you one day. And you were very friendly and desperately cute. [laughter] And um we would chat every now and then…

…I came through one day and you were counting money and I said how’re you doing? And then you looked up and said, Where you been? And I said, I’ve been here…where’ve you been? And you said, you must have been going through the wrong lane.

And you said “well I’ll put a cone in my lane, it’ll be like keeping a candle in the window for you. So I started making excuses to take the Thruway and started looking f...
Read the full transcript

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

Throughout the country, StoryCorps is recording the memories and conversations of everyday people. These interviews are archived at the Library of Congress and played here on Morning Edition. On this Friday before Valentine’s Day, we bring you a love story.

OUTRO:

Michael Fazio and Sonya Baker, recorded at a MobileBooth in Murray, Kentucky. To find out when StoryCorps will be coming to you, or to make a reservation at StoryCorps New York City, please visit NPR-dot-org.

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