I’m From Philadelphia, PA.

by Ralph Alpha

Satellite overhead image of Pennsylvania from Google Earth 2022

It’s been eight years since the blizzard–that random act of nature that brought us together.

I can still remember that night we were all stranded in the city, and how miraculous it was that we were both at the same house. You seemed so shy, and I was totally infatuated. We kissed as I sat on the counter in your kitchen and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

It seems sometimes like that storm was the blueprint for our life together; living on two coasts, in four apartments, at six jobs, and together in one tiny house. Existing in the eye of an emotional hurricane, going through friends like tissues (but always saving the good ones), and beating the snot out of each other, both physically and emotionally. Apologizing, regretting, and hoping to do better tomorrow. Disagreeing about what clothes to wear, what food to buy, what beer to drink, and how much is really too much. Laughing, talking, screaming, punching, and eventually making up. Always making up.

Yet, like any storm, the winds eventually calmed, and we find the time now to lie on the couch together and watch TV every night. I fold your laundry, and you cook us hot dogs for dinner. Fights are few, and any disagreement can be swiftly concluded with a well-placed raspberry to the neck. So what if we can’t share a legal bond? The bond we’ve forged over the years is stronger than anything with a government seal on it. And that bond gets a little stronger every day. Just keep turning over to spoon me in your sleep, and I’ll keep buying you Tater-Tots to cheer you up when you’ve had a bad day at work. I guess even without a ring, it’s painfully obvious to anyone how together we are.

Do you know I’m writing this? No. Would I want you to read it? Not really. Sometimes the secret love letters are the best ones. Throwing this bottle into the ocean for someone else to discover is like taking a snapshot of how we are right now. I can’t change it, and I wouldn’t want to. This picture is perfect.

If anyone tells you true love can’t really exist between two guys, have them call me. I have a great story for them. And it all starts with a blizzard…

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