This last week was our anniversary. On February 4th, 2006, we were on my back deck smoking cigarettes & Gord asked me if I would want a boyfriend.
"Depends on who it was"
"It'd be me".
"Well then, I think that'd be great".
We had had our first date only 2 days before & I guess we both knew right away that we'd be a good match. After we became boyfriend & girlfriend on my back deck, we went to a show. His friend's band was playing. When we got there, I ended up knowing a lot of people since his friend's band was opening for my friend's band.
'You're out of my league' he said to me.
When he went to get us beers, I looked at him from across the room & wondered if I could 'date an old guy'. Thinking back on these two things now, knowing what I know about him, and about me, it seems pretty hilarious. HE was out of my league (but eventually I think our playing field evened out quite nicely) and yeah....for someone who would have made a terrific 'old guy' he wasn't there yet. Not at all.
From then on we became nearly inseparable. I'd go to his apartment & he'd cook dinner. We'd drink coffee & he'd make music while I sat on the floor knitting. We'd curl up on his futon & listen to radio... The Best Show or This American Life or The Great Eastern. We went for lots of walks & bike rides. We watched his fine collection of The Urban Peasant on VHS. We'd make plans - lots of them.
It's really crazy to think that we only spent 6 years together. It felt like a lot longer than that. He moved in with me June 2007. Very shortly after that he started getting sick - undiagnosed. He went to the Doctor right when things started. The problem with Leukemia I guess is that the symptoms are so random & of course checking for cancer isn't the first thing they do - he was put on an inhaler, he was given a prescription for physiotherapy, he was told to take advil 'as needed' - even if that meant all day long. After months of back pain, fatigue, excessive night sweats, body aches and vomiting we went to the ER. It was Sunday, October 21, 2007. I started my brand new job the next day. By the end of the week, he had been diagnosed with Leukemia.
And that's how it started.
