So, I had this WICKED crush on this guy, "x", in high school for several years ('cuz that was my way) and through much drama he ended up following his girlfriend to New Mexico. I won't bore you with the gory details of the lingering feelings between us (though we never actually dated, which probably made it worse), but suffice it to say that my trip to New Mexico one August in 1996, post- both our recent break-ups in 4+ yrs. relationships, was held in much anticipation.

I stayed in a small college town in southern New Mexico, one hour outside of El Paso, TX and a short bit north of an Americanized Mexican town we visited briefly. I stayed for one week. When I arrived, I was introduced to "x"'s roommate, "y". He was quiet and little strange, but just the quiet would have been enough to assume 'strange' for me at that point. Things went south fast between x and I, but I had to stick it out. By the last night, I ended up a bit tipsy and crying to y at x's house. Y was not freaked out the way most guys who hardly knew you would be, but comforted me instead.

I ended up not speaking to x anymore. Y moved to Minnesota the following October. I managed through the last days of communication with x to get y's mailing address, though I never did anything with it until that Christmas. I was out shopping for holiday gifts and suddenly thought of y being new and alone in Minnesota and the spirit got the better of me and I bought him an xmas card and sent it.

Y said approximately 5 words to me the entire week I was in New Mexico. Once again sparing the details I will say that I did have the good fortune to kiss Y before I left N.M.
The circumstances may not have been optimal, but the experience was priceless. The entire world went in slow motion through the what-seemed-like-five-minutes-was-actually-3-seconds kiss. I didn't have any contact with Y after the crying incident until I sent the card. Y promptly returned a 5 page, typed letter (double-sided) telling me of his time in Minnesota. (I could quote it b/c I still have it ---- and a folder in my inbox devoted solely to his emails). 5 words in New Mexico = 5 pgs later. Hmmmm.... Well, he IS a WRITER afterall.
(that's not even the BEST part). After receiving Y's letter, he sent me his autobiographical novel that he self-published (i.e. -- printed out, double-sided, each page, and bound together with a self-designed cover). I read it.....I ate it up. It explained a lot about the quiet and the "strange", but nothing I didn't fall in love with. I wrote him back with a 10 pg version of my life, since I felt he had shared his with me so openly. It was the beginning of a 5 year correspondence. When one of Y's letters would come, I would set it aside, fix myself something yummy to eat or drink and sit down for a marvelous read. One time he sent me "an octagonal package" that I had to pick up at the Post Office -- it was a tree stump he carved out and put a photo of himself at the base. :- )

In late August 1997, I moved into a new apt. with my already roomate, S. We, of course, had a party to welcome our friends to our new space. Y rode his motorcycle from Minnesota to attend. He arrived late-ish and suffered many "I almost bought a motorcyle" stories since he was the mystery guy no one knew. We had a great visit. Understand, though, that there was no 'romance' involved b/c Y presented himself as someone who wasn't particularly interested in relationships. That was totally fine and we always had an amazing time. I had a boyfriend at the time anyway.

(still always writing) The next visit was mine -- to northern Minnesota in early March 1999. Another amazing time -- people to meet, places to see (like the source of the Mississippi River where it really is "....five steps down" like the Indigo Girls say). He picked me up from the airport explaining that the muffler had fallen off the truck (which had a rusted out bed so I had to ride pretty much on top of my suitcase for 6 hours back north from Minneapolis) and that made me a little nervous, so we rode back the whole six hours with the windows slightly open in the middle of winter. When he apologized, I said "I expect nothing less than an adventure from you."

(still always writing) Y came to visit again in June of 2000.
Having already seen Philly, I thought Y might like to see somewhere from my childhood/teenagedom. I took him to St.Peter's Village in Pottstown, Pa. We climbed the huge granite rocks in the stream (for those of you who have never been there/ seen it -- it's the large deposit of granite rock in North America). The rocks are big enough to picnic on, so we climbed to a picnic spot and ate our "hoagies" (not a Mid-Western term). It started raining. My normal reaction would be like anyone else's.....to run for cover. BUT suddenly I realized that I didn't need to go anywhere 'cuz it was just water......so we stayed. And we ended up kissing for an hour in the rain.

It was another boyfriend (for me) and five months before we would see each other again.
We met in Minneapolis in early November (2000) this time (which, by the way, isn't ANY warmer than early March!!! Ouch!!!). We walked everywhere and had the BEST time!! <> By the end of this trip, there was no doubt what was going on or how we felt about each other. It was liberating, yet frustrating b/c we were so far from each other.

By that December, Y had informed me that he was "done with Minnesota" (where, by the way, he had been working at a Youth Crisis Shelter) and was thinking of moving closer to me. :- ) x 1000. By the end of that April (2001) he was living with me here in Philly.

We've been living together happily (absolutely NO fighting) through 5 months of dual unemployment (we did both finally find employment) and the ins and outs of every day life. I have never considered myself luckier than I am today to have such a wonderful and fufilling bestest friend in the whole world. I have never had anyone understand me so completely and I would be as bold as to say neither has he. We are inextricably bound and estactic about it. My relationship experiences have, until this point, taught me that love is work and no one will really love you the way you need/want to be loved and your ability to compromise is what will see you both through.

Until now.

I wish you all the happiness that I know in Y. He is truly amazing.