Lena Dunham Instagram – The year: 2009. Obama. Arrested Development on DVD. Babydoll dresses from Urban Outfitters sale racks. I was 23 and couldn’t be stopped (unless my feelings were hurt or I was hungry.) My first film was premiering at SXSW in an afternoon slot. My friends and I were outside a bar on 6th St when a group of boys passed. They were rowdy and loose, with English accents and hair cuts that screamed Meet Me In The Bathroom (plz swipe to understand). I immediately zoomed in on one of them- he was wearing a French military coat, his black hair wild, drunkenly leading the others down the street. He smiled- at me, or in my general direction? I never forgot it- I don’t know why, since I’ve seen a lot of boys, in a lot of places, and very few of them imprinted on me in any real way. But more often than makes sense I’d think back on him- eyes wild, looking like the leader of a band of pickpockets. Over time, the specifics of his face faded from memory. He became an idea, representing something- possibility, freedom, the new life I felt I was forging for myself one badly worn trend at a time. Twelve years later- on Feb 15, 2021, three years ago- I met the person who would become my husband. I’ve said it before, but Lu was immediately familiar to me. I chalked it up to the warm glow of healthy connection. We talked about where we had been, and the places we had in common- including SXSW a few years in a row. Imagine, we said, maybe we’d been dancing in neighboring bars, staying in adjacent motel rooms. A few months later, we packed the last of Lu’s things from his family home in order to start our own. As we weighed what would come with us and what wouldn’t, he pulled a hanger from the closet: “I should throw this out, right? I bought it for tour and wore it every day of 2009. Weird choice.” I looked up. And there it was- the military jacket, long, slim with the gleaming brass buttons, the epaulets. It was him. The beautiful boy. Now, my beautiful boy. Now, a sober adult who walks on the sidewalk. My infinite, swirling companion animal. So nice I married him twice. Sometimes life makes it impossible not to believe. You do the same, Lulu. Gracias, mi amor, por mi vida ❤️