Today is our anniversary, Andy & I. On this day (more or less) in 2000, I told Zach that I was falling for Andy; Andy had told his own boyfriend Ken a few days before that. They had been together about three years. Andy fled to Indianapolis to stay with his dad and think things out. Being alone for that week was one of the hardest times in my life. Asking myself every five minutes or so, “What the hell have you done?” When Andy finally came back into town, Ken did not want him to stay in the apartment (they lived together). Andy had no one else to stay with, so that first weekend he stayed with me. He took the bus back to Chicago. It was dinnertime, so we dropped off his things at my apartment and walked a few blocks to El Jardin Cafe under the el tracks. Over chips and salsa and a few margaritas we stared at each other, hardly able to talk, not quite believing what was going on. When dinner was over we returned to my apartment, and it was like we were truly together for the first time.

It feels so long ago now. It’s wonderful to think about everything that’s happened in these five years.