This is a Valentine's Day story that started on April Fool's Day.

Imagine a gutsy high school sophomore asking a senior girl out for Chinese food on April 1, and you’ve got the unlikely beginning to Paul and Mary Magee’s 30-year relationship.

“On April Fool’s Day, 1983, I asked her out,” said Paul, the Rochester Police Chief.

Since Paul didn’t have his license yet, Mary said, “I had to drive. I love that part.”

The two Old Rochester Regional students dined at Wah May Restaurant in Fairhaven. That’s where Paul told Mary that his family was moving to New Jersey.

“I could see the disappointment on her face,” said Paul. After telling her the story was a joke, he asked her to go steady.

“We regularly go back to Wah May’s, always on our anniversary,” he said.

Mary started her freshman year at the University of New Hampshire soon after they began dating, and the Mattapoisett natives met in Boston whenever possible.

“We spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on telephone calls,” said Paul. “Every penny I made went to phone calls.”

Paul said it was well worth it. “She’s got a real positive personality. Even when things aren’t great, she’s pleasant to be around.”

Although they are opposites in many ways, the Magees said their differences are good for their relationship. “We play off each other’s strengths. Rather than let that be something that divides us,” said Paul.

The Magees dated for seven years as both attended college and Paul joined the police force. They tied the knot in 1990.

“The two reasons why our relationship is successful are that we communicate all the time and trust,” said Paul. “We’re constantly in contact with each other so there are no misconceptions. There’s none of the jealousy stuff. No drama.”

Since Paul worked with the fire and police departments from the beginning of their relationship, Mary learned to be flexible when emergency calls cancelled their dates.

“The divorce rate in police work is somewhere around 75 to 80 percent,” said Paul. “I have great respect for her, for what she sacrifices.”

Early in their marriage, Mary worked as an EMT, which helped her understand Paul’s work and get to know his fellow officers.

Later, the pair said they were “ships passing in the night,” working opposite shifts so someone could be home with their kids.

With their children, now ages 17 and 18, the Magees said they aren’t too worried about having an empty nest in a few years.

“We did a lot of stuff together before we had kids, and that made a good foundation of things in common,” said Mary, now a consulting dietitian with her own company, Southcoast Nutritional Services.

The couple is also ok spending time apart. Last year Paul had the rare opportunity to attend a three-month training at the FBI National Academy in Virginia.

Seeing each other a few times over the months was difficult, said the pair.

But Mary said, “It was a no-brainer for me because I would want to have it reciprocated. It’s important we respect time away.”

The theme of respect has carried them through 22 years of marriage, and their community knows it.

“You can ask any of my friends. They call her St. Mary,” said Paul. “I just don’t have anything bad to say about her.”

For Valentine’s Day, the couple said they’re treating themselves to a spring cruise to make up for lost time while Paul was away.

“We still enjoy being together,” said Mary.