Last winter she showed me some color swatches and asked if I liked how they looked together. Then every few weeks she would comment about progress on her “new project”. I knew she had just moved so I assumed she was making something for her home, or her cats, or another of the many fabric pieces she’s gifted to others.
Today she enthusiastically exclaimed it was finally done, texted me these photos...
...and told me it’s mine for my birthday in two weeks! Lately it seems we’ve been childishly arguing over politics, weather, relatives, just pain goofy shit, way too much to appreciate each other. But when it sunk in that whichever way our conversations skewed, she steadfastly returned to this quilt, and I became a sobbing mess thinking about that.
The color palette is that of Maryland my home state. Because of circumstances beyond my control I’ve been roaming all over the place, living with friends or in shabby roadside motels, never allowing any roots to set in for fear they’d be suddenly cut off again sending me into another depressing tailspin. But my heart has always longed for a Baltimore Orioles baseball game, a night strolling the Inner Harbor, a cool breeze under the pines at Loch Raven Reservoir, sand between my toes at Ocean City, crackling campfires in Catoctin, or cold beer and steamed crabs in Annapolis.
She told me “You’ll always be a penis, but you’ll also always be my big brother!” ...and so now I’ll have something to snuggle with wherever I am on the road that will remind me of my roots even if I’m still too scared to let them grow on their own. We’re supposed to hook up soon so I can pick it up and giver her a giant hug. We’re about 80 miles apart now, but I feel closer than ever 😊
