Someone important to me asked the other day if I could talk about how John and I met, over 4 years ago. It’s an interesting short story which, I believe, speaks of life’s uncanny mystery.
A few years prior, Dad, and my two brothers, Josh and Justin (who you will see in episode 1 of upcoming Season 2), worked together in Paden Builders – our family’s contracting and construction company. One of their clients happened to be two men who lived together, nearby where we lived, on the hill in Schoharie. In fact, their house could be considered to be in the same neighborhood.
As a gay man, it was interesting to know that there was a couple living so close in the country. Josh, Justin and Dad, over the course of a few weeks, continued and completed their job of constructing a barn for this man called John.
Anyway, years went by and I hadn’t heard anything about the couple after, until one night when I was on the computer. I’d been dabbling in online dating through Yahoo Personals, when all of the sudden, I came across a man called John who lived in Schoharie who was newly single. I contacted him to say hello. He asked me who I was. I’d put two and two together at that point and said I was, believe it or not, a neighbor. In fact, (and this is a blend of funny and creepy, which we both smile about now) I said I could see his house from my kitchen window. Well apparently, this John jumped up and looked out his back windows to see who the heck and from what distant house might be staring back!
We chatted a few times then, but I knew that his breakup was still fresh, and he’d need more time before jumping into any kind of relationship with me. So we were friends, who talked occasionally for almost ½ a year after.
Then, one day, while I was outside working on a Halloween project for a production I was in charge of, John stopped by. He’d seen me working in front of the garage while he’d driven by. See, he’d been living in Sharon Springs with his family at that point while he and his partner worked out an amiable situation where John’s many goats could remain at the old farm. He’d been driving back and forth twice a day to feed, water and milk, going past my house at those times.
He stopped and talked for a bit, finally seeing each other’s faces in person for the first time. He left but then soon returned a week later. Before we knew it, by January 1st, he’d begun coming by the house every day for lunch and staying till he had to milk again that night. It helped him cut down on the drive time, but of course, more importantly, something was slowly building.
This went on for another four months, till the 1st of April. On April 1st, of all days – the day of pranks - was also the day that John and I solidified our relationship and became an official couple. And we’ve been happily ever since.
Now interestingly, it was also the day that Josh and Brent responded to his letter and accepted John’s idea of living at the Beekman in the small house as caretaker, with all his goats.
So, a notoriously silly day on the calendar (April Fools) turned out to be a radical twist in our four lives now here at the Beekman. It is funny… just how mysterious life is. Can’t help but wonder if it was, somehow, all meant to be.
Thanks, Teri, for asking!
