The ‘undisclosed destination’

On April 15, Christopher Savage made the trek from his native Bakersfield, Calif., to D.C. He’d arranged for a place to crash, desperate for a new start.

No one knows whether the 36-year-old Savage believed his stay in the District would be an extended vacation or a real settling down. He had sold much of his record collection and his record player. A friend set up a PayPal account online for other friends to donate money for his trip. Two Germans sent him a couple hundred bucks.

Savage's roommates in D.C., Vinnie Betette and Claibourne Reppert
(Photograph by Darrow Montgomery)

What is clear is that Savage had left a lot more than records back in Bakersfield.

In July, he began dating Sabrena Sullivan, 21. They had their first date at a P.F. Chang’s. Within weeks, they were living together. Within a month, he proposed in the backyard of their rental on Pine Street, presenting her with a platinum ring and a three-diamond setting. “I said, ‘yes,’ and I pounced on him,” says Sullivan. “I was sitting down, and I just tackled him. It was really cute. He wanted to do it at P.F. Chang’s, but I think he couldn’t wait.”

“Everything we did together was fun somehow,” Sullivan says. “Every single thing we did.”... Continued