Category: Love and Marriage

Cold Spot

The first few times I arrived at what is now home I was relegated to the guest couch on the southern end of the living room. I dreaded that seat because my future in-laws had positioned it right under the a/c and heating vent which meant a constant blast of air any time we all sat watching the telly before Nic and I made our way back to her room to study.  
Two score and two years since then I have clawed my way to the best perch in the living room with no plans to relinquish it. 
Still, that guest couch remains, awaiting some wily suitor willing to pay her/his dues.

Podcast: Cruel Intentions – Can one bad day change a man for the worse?

Can one bad day change a man for the worse? Hugo thinks on this as he takes stock of these last few days and how they contrast with films like The Joker which he has recently seen. Also Hugo shares a strategy for balancing out negative thoughts.
Today on the Show:
The Shinning – Intro Music
Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland
Preview: The Joker (2019) https://youtu.be/rgXplohCw5o
Subscribe to the Podcast or you can find Hugo on Twitter at @hugosposts on Insta at @hugotorres or his blog at sangabrielvalley.blogspot.com

Wrinkly Americans

My wife and I were flanked at the thread mills by two Wrinkly-Americans. Possibly 25 years our senior they moved slowly onto the machines and pushed the buttons quizzically to make them go. They paid no mind to time, us or the busy bodies around them. They figured out their routine and from time to time checked in on each other in a half nagging sort of way.
My wife and I looked at one another and noted the glimpse at a possible future. It looked pretty alright.

Back to Dust

At the end of my days I hope I won’t become that guy that says “I told you so.”
 Instead I want to have grown up to be the man who was known for kindness, his long stories, his laughter and an open mind. I want to go knowing that I shared all the wine with my friends during the good times and bad. That I helped realize bright and realized children who will make their mark. I’d like to leave knowing that I brought many more smiles to my wife’s face then tears down her cheeks. 
Then I would like to go back to the dust from which I came.

Knowing Glances and Off to Bed

I saw her eyes and knew. 
Our little ones were still wide awake and nowhere near sleepy so a quick choice had to be made. It was a no brainer as I beckoned her into our bedroom. She had to take a moment to ready herself and so I took her bathroom break as an opportunity to peel bed sheets away and get the nest ready. When she opened the door to greet me I read her signals and didn

A Pat on the Back

On a morning walk about my hood I walked past and overhead the goings-on of a Seasoned pair. 
The prestigious looking gal had too-tight a bun upon her hair, was spectacled and I deduced a foot injury based on the black brace she wore at her ankle. The gentleman caller at her side was twenty years past the designation of a silver-fox but limped with the confidence of one. They had to make their way across the street and she was harping on about the house never having

Miles to Go

No one ever truly gave us a road map. 
We’ve borrowed bits and pieces from others but a lot of it we’ve figured out on our own. I suppose we are and continue to me an amalgamation of all the texts, those late late night calls early on, some shouting matches, tears, the comfortable silences, the hand holding in the car on long drives, the quick pecks before jetting off to work, the longing kisses in the warm Florida rain, the times we’ve played telephone with the kids and all those hearty laughs. 
That’s the path we’ve paved for ourselves indeed and still we know there’s many miles left to go before we forever fall asleep.

Lack of Silence

I remember the night when we marked the sign that told us if we should call it quits. We were at The Stinking Rose on La Cienega having dinner and across our booth we saw a somewhat-40 couple having a too quiet dinner. They hardly shared a glance and there was almost no chit-chat.
We agreed then that if we became like them then it was time to rethink things.

Years later the two of us were blabbing to each other at the Pho spot in Monrovia and for a moment I stopped and thought…hey we’re still ok!