My name is Tony Cianciolo. I am 18 and currently enrolled at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. Christian and I have been friends since our sophomore year in high school, where we played golf for three years. I can honestly say he is one of my best friends.
I actually met Angel through Chad (who was Christian's best man at the wedding) and the two of us dated for about a month when we were in high school. Needless to say, the relationship didn't work out between the two of us and soon Christian took over her life in full force. I remember that by our senior year the two of them were inseparable.
When I first heard that Angel was pregnant, I was hesitant about whether she and Christian were ready for such a major commitment. But I made it apparent to Christian that Chad and I would be there through the struggle. Then, with the birth of Christian and Angel's son, Tanner Mason Bartonico, came the idea of marriage, which, in all honesty, I was completely against.
I felt that by getting married at a young age Christian was sacrificing his future and putting everything -- including school, friends and family -- on hold. I remember sitting on the couch the night before the wedding thinking that it would be the last time Christian would be able to let loose and just be himself. Seeing him constantly struggle to pay rent scared me so much that I vowed not to get married before I owned my own place.
The wedding itself was one of the most stressful days of my life. I think we took 10,000 pictures, and the bride's mother kept yelling at the kids for not smiling. Seeing Christian shaking up until the minute they said "I do" just made me hope that my girlfriend didn't get any ideas. In the end, I think it worked out for the best. Although Angel and Rose (Christian's mom) still don't see eye to eye, I think that eventually time will heal all of the broken bonds.
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