March kiss the most recent for engaged, cross-border couple
Fort Erie woman separated for months from U.S. fiancé due to restrictions
Kenmore, N.Y., is so close to Fort Erie you can practically see the small village from the shoreline of Lake Erie.
But, for Tricia-lynn Pascia, that distance is now immeasurable.
Her fiancé Nick Crawley lives in
Kenmore and the couple has not been able to see each other in person since late March after the Canadau.s. border was closed to non-essential travel due to the global pandemic.
“We joke that because we live along the river, if we attached a zip line from my house to his house, it would only be a minute ride,” the Fort Erie woman said.
The couple met in Canada several years ago. Crawley proposed last December.
A fall wedding was planned, complete with a guest list of more than 400 people.
Those plans fell apart, however, as the potentially deadly virus spread across the globe.
“The last time he was here, we didn’t know it would be the last time we would see each other,” Pascia said.
The couple had expected the border closure would only be a temporary hiccup in their relationship.
“We thought it would all blow over
soon,” Pascia recalled. “We knew it was out of our hands and there was nothing we could do.”
Three months later, however, the couple remain apart. Their wedding, originally set for September, has been postponed until fall 2021.
Their communications are limited to Facetime, phone calls and texts.
“Without technology, this would be much for difficult on us both,” Crawley said.
The federal government recently eased restrictions for cross-border families, however, Pascia and Crawley aren’t eligible as they’re not yet married.
“You just have to throw your hands up and try to make the best of it,” Pascia.
Crawley is optimistic they’ll be reunited soon.
“At the end of the day, we’re lucky to be safe and healthy in such unprecedented times,” he said. “I try to stay positive and hope for the best … that the border will reopen as scheduled in July and not be pushed back again.”
The border is expected to remain closed to all non-essential travel until at least the end of July.