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THE LEGEND OF DÓNAL & ERIC

An Tale of Romance, Real Estate, and Mildly Coerced Emotional Growth

 

Once upon a time (July 28, 2014), in the sweltering, post-apocalyptic hellscape known as Atlanta in July, two men locked eyes across a table at Savage Pizza in Little 5 points  One of them was Donal, a charming Irish chaos goblin in human form. The other, Eric, was a Latino-Irish drink of water who didn’t yet realize he was about to spend the next decade being slowly manipulated into attending choir concerts, random church occasions and assembling furniture using only rage and raw instinct.

 

Their first date was cute. Eric thought it was a casual hang. Dónal arrived as if he were entering Act II of a West End musical. Andy the Dog (who was at home) immediately decided Eric was the one who would open snacks and allow him to sleep directly on his neck. The choice was made. The prophecy began.

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CHAPTER TWO: ESCALATION (A.K.A. THE SLOW GAY KIDNAP)

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By fall 2014, Dónal left for a choir tour like some feral musical wizard and left Eric - who had just become his boyfriend but was already Andy's emotional support human—alone with the dog, a pile of laundry, and the sudden realization that love might smell like wet carpet, desperation and a flea infestation... long story, but between our friend Allie, Eric, lavender and eco friendly chemicals, Andy was washed, the apartment was tented, and Dónal knew he had found a good one! 

 

Then came the moment. Christmas.

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The city of Atlanta, in a petty act of heteronormativity, refused to grant a basic building permit for Erics new apartment on North Ave, so the two were forced to cohabitate for a month.... It was either a tragic accident or the world’s gayest housing scam.

 

They moved into Dónal’s Lowry Street apartment, which was “cozy,” meaning you could reach the fridge from the toilet and answer the front door from the bed. They had one dresser, no boundaries, and a rapidly intensifying emotional entanglement that neither of them could name, but both were definitely overthinking.

 

It was romance. But like, gentrified and covered in dog hair.

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CHAPTER THREE: REAL ESTATE & RESENTMENT

 

Next came the rental in East Atlanta, where they officially began “living together,” which is gay code for “fighting about throw blankets and pretending to enjoy houseplants.” Eventually they bought that very house, proving that even chaotic gays can achieve the American Dream, if the dream includes lovely conversations about grout color and a neighbor who spray paints cars and plays the drums 7 a.m.

 

That house saw it all:

 

• The first time they tried to “Marie Kondo” their life and ended up crying in a pile of mismatched Tupperware.

• The great “Who Killed the Basil Plant?” standoff of 2019.

• One very intense moment when Eric found out Dónal had “accidentally adopted” a coffee table, a DSYON Vacuum cleaner and a baby grand piano from Facebook Marketplace.​​​​​​​​​​​

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​CHAPTER FOUR: MIGRATION, MILD PANIC, & CROSS-COUNTRY GAYS

 

By 2021, they sold the house and moved to Tucker, GA, which is basically the suburbs but with slightly more lesbians. Dónal described it as “peaceful,” which turned out to mean “now we have space for a wine fridge and full-scale dinner parties with people we met one time at a dog park.” Tucker ended up being great - they had great neighbors, all the space and a huge house for Dónal to host all the parties and Eric to tidy up after.... 

 

Then, in 2024, the final boss move: California.

 

They packed their entire chaotic life, including the dog, some internalized trauma, and a mysteriously growing collection of kitchen gadgets and hauled it across the country like the gay pioneers they are.

 

Why California? Because Dónal said, “Let’s follow the sun,” and Eric was too tired to argue. By that point, he’d been to three dinner parties, two “casual game nights” that ended in crying, and had once built a bed frame while Donal live-narrated the experience in a fake BBC accent.

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CHAPTER FIVE: GLOBETROTTING & OTHER SHENANIGANS​​​​​​​​​​​

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These two have been everywhere.

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Ireland, where Dónal knows everyone, and Eric found it facinating that it took 30 mins to walk 2 mins with everyone stopping to say hi! 

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Italy, where they drunk in the Vatican for medicinal purposes and drove into the side of a building. (that actually happened!)

 

France, where Dónal ordered wine like a sommelier who never tasted wine and Eric accidentally hit “translate” and told the waiter he was a “sexual envelope.”

 

Florida, which neither of them wants to talk about.

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CHAPTER SIX: THE WEDDING (ALSO KNOWN AS THE GAY SUPER BOWL)

 

Now, after 11 years of drama, devotion, dog hair, and Dónal trying to sneak just one more guest onto the invite list, they’re making it official - well they already did, on March 13, 2025 in L.A. - but this time IRL in IRL!! 

 

There will be dancing.

There will be booze.... 

There will be at least one aunt who says, “I didn’t realize they were this gay.”

There will be emotional speeches, possibly in an accent, definitely with crying.

 

This is not just a wedding anniversary party - This is a gay rite of passage.

This is Downton meets My Best Friend’s Wedding, but with better shoes, more carbs...and Guinness!

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ANDY THE DOG’S FINAL STATEMENT:

“I manipulated this union. I peed on everything. I barked at every moment of tenderness, humped every cushion and jumped on every visitor they've had for the past decade. This is my greatest work. Enjoy the party - I don't have a passport so I guess I'll stay home!" (he's not a victim)