I met Ray first.
We went to college together and I always thought he was cool and all, but I didn’t know him that well. He was in Product Design, I was in Visual Communication. (He made imaginary things in polyurethane foam while I picked out fonts and colors.)
It wasn’t until after graduation that I realized he was something else.
We were at a bachelor party of a friend. There was a stripper of some sort. We found each other on the porch.
“I’m just not into that.” he said, a stoic Catholic boy from Dayton Ohio.
“Me either.” I replied, a more than closeted fella from rural Cincinnati.
It is my belief we looked at each other with a newfound respect that evening.
After all our friends from college got jobs and moved away, there weren’t too many folks from our class hanging out in Columbus, Ohio.
Ray lived in German Village with his dog Nico and roommate Katsumi. I was making CD-ROMs and trying to figure out life.
We started hanging out. He introduced me to his friends and family and then up and moved to California. That bastard!
Eventually he met up with Sheila and things coalesced. Sheila and I hit it off and we entertain ourselves just fine with our own enthusiasm of life’s interests and wonderment.
Every time we cross paths it feels like the best parts of a novel.
They are my destination wherever they live.