So when I was a student at Chico State I used to do these speaker panels for different classes on campus. Me and a few others would sit up in front of a class ranging in size from 20-120 and talk about the wild and mysterious world of "being gay" (Whooooo.) It's hilarious to think back on it now. Anyway, at one of these little chats I was talking about Tom and myself, and someone asked when I knew I was in love with him. This is that story...
In October of 1990 Tom and I went to San Francisco together for the first time. We were going to go and see Les Miserables. I had only been once or twice before for very brief periods of time, and hadn't really ever seen The City. Tom humored me. We arrived via The Golden Gate, saw Lombard Street, the Castro, etc.
I also wanted to ride on a cable car. So we decided to take one to Union Square from our hotel near the Wharf. We gave the man our tickets and went and sat inside the little glass enclosed section of the car. Whoop-EE...NOT. Quite the drab and boring trip.
So on the way back I decided I wanted to hang off the side. I mean THAT'S what riding a cable car is all about, right. So we ran up and I grabbed the first bar, and Tom grabbed the second. We were off! We get to the second stop and some guy jumps on between us and puts a hand on my bar to steady himself. Tom and I peek around him at each other as if to say, "WTF?" We obviously had not versed ourselves in the etiquette rules of cable car riding to know that any available space was, in fact, an available space.
That night we head off to ride the cable car back to Union Square to see the show. Once again I run up and grab the first bar. But this time Tom steps between the first and second bar. Puts one hand on the second bar, and the other hand around my waist to grab the first. Those of you who know Tom at all, either actually or through the lore, know that PDAs are not his thing.
Once again, off we go. Picture it...a beautiful San Francisco evening. We're riding the cable car, his arm wrapped around me, breeze in our hair, just barely missing the passing cars. We head up to the top of Nob Hill and suddenly the east side of the city is lit up below us: the Transamerica pyramid, the buildings of the financial district. It was amazing. I can still see it. It was then...that moment on the cable car, when I knew. I truly and deeply love this man. And twenty years later, I still do!
Happy Anniversary Tomas!
Love,
Me
