Shawn Lane

It's the ninth anniversary of the day they met, and Allan Baker is at a neighborhood bar waiting for his husband. While there, he strikes up a conversation with an old man sitting on a stool beside him.<br><br>The man introduces himself only as Gene. He sits alone nursing a beer he never touches and listens to Allan’s story about coming to the bar for the first time years ago.<br><br>Little does Allan know, but Gene is celebrating a nine-year anniversary of his own.

The Nine Years Bar

Allan nodded. “He did. He was an associate at the veterinarian’s office here, so it wasn’t hard for him to leave, and though we had been really having a great time, he didn’t seem particularly heartbroken to be leaving me behind.”


He sounded vaguely affronted on Allan’s behalf, which went a long way to endearing the old guy to him. He wondered what Gene’s story was, anyway, and who he was waiting for.


“He lasted nine days. Then he called me to say he loved me and was coming back to California.” Allan smiled at the memory. “And yeah, we’ve been together since. Funny, we’ve got a thing about nines.”


“We got married three years ago on—”


“Yes! Told you, we’ve got this nine thing going on. I guess it’s pretty superstitious really. It was my idea to meet here tonight for our ninth anniversary. Well, you know, of when we met.”


Chapter 2