At the time it was said, Alonso Mayorga just laughed it off. The event is still vivid in his memory. He was at a party with friends in November of this past year. “You’re getting married next year,” one of his friends said. Normally, he would brush this off to someone who may have had one to many. But this person read cards and she was dead serious. “Yeah right,” he said with a laugh.
Getting married? Who was she kidding? Yes, he was dating someone very special. Someone, he had to admit, was the only girl who didn’t just fall for him immediately. He had to work for this one. But he knew from the beginning she was special. What they had was special, so he figured she was worth the effort.
He had been dating Sona Cox for just a few months by that point in November, even though they had been friends for over a year. Alonso first noticed Sona in Down N Dirty. They met in the sweat, a common euphemism associated the flirtatious nature of that class. At first, they would just stand next to each other while waiting to enter the studio – every once in a while exchanging an awkward smile. Then, somehow, their mats would regularly end up next to each other. Later, saving each other a spot became the norm. Eventually, they would get coffee afterward and a genuine friendship developed. Communication between the two was easy. They could talk for hours. They could talk about anything.
In time, Sona’s friends became Alonso’s friends and he was just part of the group by a certain point.
“He was really smart about that. It went from just a friendship to a friendship with my friends and he was always invited to everything,” Sona said.
Almost from the beginning, Alonso knew what he wanted. Always after a few drinks, he would often test his luck and move in for a kiss only to find Sona with both hands up in protest. “Let’s keep it friendly,” she would say.
Her hesitancy wasn’t because she didn’t find him attractive. On the contrary, she found him quite attractive, but she genuinely didn’t want to ruin a good friendship.
But when a girlfriend remarked, “once one of you finds a partner, it will be over anyway,” Sona realized there was only one way to go. It scared her to think he would no longer be a part of her life, so she gave in and decided to give it a shot.
They both admit it was awkward in the beginning – to go from good friends to a couple almost overnight – but the comfort they both provided each other remained.
“It just felt right from the get-go. He was making my life easier. I started a new job and I was working really crazy hours and he was there for me. He helped me move and then he moved in,” she says with a chuckle.
After helping Sona move into a new place in June, Alonso found himself there just about every day. For Alonso, he felt right at home. For Sona, she was still a bit cautious albeit more optimistic.
“It just felt right,” she says. “Every time I came home, it just felt good. He helped me as opposed to making my life difficult.”
And within just a few months, they went from a “just friends” to a couple to living together.
After the “you’re getting married” remark by the friend in November, Alonso just couldn’t shake the idea. At first, he thought it would be crazy to get married so soon. But over the next few months, and by the time his mom met her, he knew that’s exactly what they needed to do.
Like all couples, they discussed the idea. And to Sonia, it sounded nice at a distance. But by February, Alonso’s hints were more serious. When he asked her “have you ever thought about spending the rest of your life with me?” She noticed a change in his tone and Sona began to panic. The timeframe came into mind. She had dated other guys for longer. “How could this work out?” She asked. But she had to admit it felt right somehow.
Later that month, a snowboarding trip to Brian Head was planned. Alonso was adamant it just be the two of them – no other friends. That was clue number one. Then he reserved a suite. That was clue number two.
During the entire trip, Alonso was a wreck “He was acting so weird,” she said. “He was not hearing anything I had to say – he was so annoying.”
Alonso planned to propose on top of the mountain but struggled to find the right moment. The problem was she was too good of a snowboarder and had no patience to deal with Alonso, who was still learning.
“She was so fast and annoying that day,” Alonso says.
Becoming more irritated, she insisted they split up for the day and meet up later. At last, they met at the top of their last run. Alonso knew it was now or never – but only if he could just get her to slow down for crying out loud.
“Wait, wait. My back,” he called out faking an injury.
They couldn’t hang around there she thought. It was getting dark. “Well suck it up, let’s go,” she said.
Sona turned to head back down the mountain. “Wait, Wait!” He cried out.
“Wait for what? Put your board back on and lets go.”
“Well, you wanted to see me on my knees right?”
“Doing what?” It still hadn’t occurred to Sona what he was doing.
And when the ring came out, Sona blurted out a nervous laugh. Of course she would say yes. That decision was already made. But Sona decided to have a little fun with it. “I can’t hear you, can you say it again?” And Alonso proposed once more. “I still can’t hear you, say it again.” And Alonso proposed once more. Finally, by the third time, Sona put him out of his misery and accepted.
Later that night, the first two people they told were Liz Steers and Martin Hinton.
“Alonso and Sona were married April 8, 2017. In October, they plan to host a larger celebration for family and friends. A year ago neither would have thought this is where they would be today. But neither would no way change any part of the journey since they originally met in the sweat.” – Liz Steers
