He was the ultimate All-American boy I never thought I’d fall for. Born and raised in Sacramento, CA. Eagle Scout. Catholic school bred. Tall, well-built, and easy on the eyes. I knew I was in over my head.
But, I also suspected that he was full of baloney. He was a little too perfectly agreeable when we first met on that plane. I learned that he was a 2nd year Temple Med student. He enjoyed the creative arts and had lived a previous life on the stage as an aspiring actor during his college years at USC. We both confessed that the weirdest food we’d ever eaten was cuy (guinea pig) in Peru, to which we had both traveled on separate occasions. Back then, his uniform consisted of dark jeans with brown boots and t-shirts in various exciting shades of gray. My first impression of him was a little too cool and put-together, one without much hope for a genuine connection.
Over the years, my apprehension fell away as I came to realize that he was the real deal. As we got to know each other, the “too-cool” facade peeled away and I fell in love with the nerdy and dorky true self I unearthed beneath. He turned out to be considerate, kind, and thoughtful with a genuine earnestness in all his endeavors. He respects me and has a passion for justice and family values. Moreover, his OCD tendencies means that trash is always emptied and my laptop screen always clean.
A little over a year into the relationship, we had a rough patch while I was away in India for a 10-week stint—but we overcame it and came out stronger. It was after that trip when I realized not only was I so lucky as to have found a wonderful boyfriend, I had found a life partner with whom I could share my joys and weather the storms.
I am blessed by how graciously his family has embraced me into their fold. Even more so, I am grateful to their family values and child-rearing abilities that have allowed for his serendipitous entrance into my life. Three years later, we currently live together in New York and work as Residents in Emergency Medicine. He’s halfway through intern year at Mount Sinai Hospital and entertains ideas of fellowship in critical care or toxicology. We no longer have to play the long-distance game and life is good.
— Christine