wedding road trip

Back to the Scene of the Crime, Part II

In Denver, I got to return to the scene of the crime, where I last saw my ex-fiancé, who wanted to get away from me so much that he drove through a blinding snowstorm back to Vancouver. Now in Boston, I get to relive yet another fun part of my life- the summer with Chris 2.

I met Chris 2 back in San Francisco the day before he was returning to Boston. Call it kismet or maybe too much alcohol with the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge and Napa Valley. Either way, we found the need to keep in touch and date long distance for about three months. Then I upped the ante and moved in with him for the summer.

Big mistake. While the summer was full of trips to the Cape, Neil Diamond sing-a-longs, and Boston Red Sox games, it was also peppered with scenes from a bad Lifetime movie: drunk brawls, slamming doors, and a broken down car on the George Washington bridge. By the end of summer, Chris 2 and I were through and he had moved on to the woman he is married to today.

Whenever I sit back and wonder why the relationship with Chris 2 happened, I draw two conclusions: one- to figure out that “Laid” by James is the best song in the history of music and two- to meet Danielle.

Danielle is the kind of girl that can become your best friend immediately. She has a warm, outgoing personality that puts people at ease in any circumstance, which came in handy that long summer in Boston. After the breakup with Chris 2, Danielle and I kept in touch thanks to Facebook, IM, and basically every other social networking site in the universe. Her now boyfriend (also named Chris) likes to joke that she “pretends she’s really busy at work, but one of her screens is always open to Facebook.”

Chris and I met up with Danielle and her Chris at the famous Warren Tavern in Charlestown. Danielle has owned a condo in the area for more than five years, which is a pretty huge accomplishment when you consider that all Chris and I own is a small storage space in San Francisco. Danielle got me up to speed on what’s been going on over the last few years, including how Chris stalked and courted her until she finally gave in. They’re now living together and can talk about marriage and kids without feeling like one of them will take off running for the hills. They also work together on a daily basis without killing each other, which is unbelievably admirable. This is the second couple we’ve met that spend all day together and don’t despise it. Strangely, both relationships include guys named Chris… hmm…

I think my favorite thing about Chris and Danielle is their commitment to good times and travel. They’re always off doing something interesting, whether it be playing on multiple soccer teams or organizing a group of friends to go on a cruise. In the hour and a half we spent together, Chris and I both felt right at home. Strange how sometimes you can feel more at home with someone you haven’t seen in years than you do with the people who live right next door.

Moment in a Coffee Shop

It can happen anywhere. In a movie theater, in an airplane, on the bus. Dozens of empty seats surround you, yet someone decides to sit exactly across from you or right in your lap. Suddenly your oasis of calm is infiltrated by a middle-aged Lexington, Massachusetts man who likes to drink his iced tea very, very slowly while doing calisthenics in between.

It is at that moment, that exact moment, that you miss home.