1/25/14
Watching a couple in public can be very revealing, it’s easy to tell if things are melding or not. When the relationship is good then interactions between the two look to be seamless, as if there’s a different channel upon which they are communicating. Such a display of obvious affection and compatibility often elicits a most unwelcome response “Aww, you two are so cute together!”
Lately I’ve been getting that reaction more and more—but not with my girlfriend—with my bros.
In college we all lived together, and life was simple. High fives, hand-shakes, and shit-talking were just a walk down the hall. When we graduated it was thought that things would deteriorate, connections would dwindle, and the sky would forever be covered with the grey clouds of lost friendships. That is not the case, not if you’re a promiscuous bro such as myself.
When you travel constantly between Portland, Spokane, and Seattle, it forms a triangle of evergreen trees, smiles, and facial hair. The Pacific Northwest Trinity is a real thing. Every week I work 4 days in Portland then spend a 3-day weekend in Spokane and reside in my lightly treaded apartment to spend time with my lady friend. Seattle comes into play once in a while because our main client is Microsoft.
It just so happens that every one of my favorite roommates from the glory days live within the PNW Trinity. Lucky, slutty, me.
The result of this constant travel and occasional merrymaking is that I get around. Don’t get me wrong I’m a one woman man, but I never swore celibacy to one dude. A different bromance in every city, I share inside jokes, grins of pleasure, and genuine conversations with multiple friends across state lines.
People often poke fun at me and whatever bro I’m with, saying we’re dressed the same or marveling at how adorable it is that we open each other’s beer. At that point all I can do is sigh and think about my other bros, and how if they were here we wouldn’t be criticized for looking so damn precious.
If you have any friendships like that then you might sympathize. Travelling constantly and having two rents makes home seem like a foreign concept, but when there are likeminded people in every city waiting to say “crash here tonight, we’d love to have you” then home is omnipresent.
