Our Roaring Twenties: September 2012

Seven years ago, senior year just started at Cortland High. Summer lingered, but cool nights in early September promised the frosts of fall would settle soon.

Nick and I weren't officially dating yet, but his birthday is September 7th, and he was more than my friend. And I wanted to surprise him with what then turned into the first of many birthdays together.

I remember sneaking a moment in whispers with his mom to brainstorm. I didn't want to give him anything that his family already had planned. I did have one idea, though.

At night when Nick and I returned to his house, sometimes it was pouring. Sometimes it was snowing. And most of the time, we were just exhausted or it was just cold, and Nick would stand at the corner of his garage and punch the key pad to open the door. That damn garage door almost never opened on the first try. So he tried the second code, which only worked sometimes. The process took longer than necessary. For his birthday, then, I wanted to give him a garage door transmitter like his parents had.

Labor day weekend, I drove to Sears with the garage door make and model etched on a sticky note from Nick's mom. I purchased a key-chain door transmitter, and I think Nick even called on my way out of the store, quizzing me on what errand I was running in Ithaca for his birthday.

The very first birthday I celebrated with Nick was on a Wednesday night. His Mimi and Papa were in town to see Nick's football game that Friday night. I arrived after dinner for cake and ice cream and to give Nick his birthday present.

Wrapped in a cardboard tshirt box, I place the garage door opener and a framed photograph of the two of us at our friend Krista's pond party -- And, to step out of the memory, about two months ago, I was sorting through boxes and found the exact photograph I gifted him at the very beginning of us.

Since then, we've celebrated in Cortland, in Buffalo, in Boston, in Poughkeepsie and in Skaneateles. We've celebrated apart where 'wrapped' meant in a UPS box with packing noodles. And this year, we're celebrating together in Hawaii. The morning began with orange rolls and it will end somewhere in Honolulu this evening.

Happy birthday to you, my Nicholas! Cheers to the last seven years and to the next seventy to come :)

2006 - Cortland