you were filling out an emergency contact form and decided to list me as a contact. for emergencies.
the form asked for my relation. it provided an entire list of options in a drop-down box on the web page you were visiting.
not one of the titles offered in the list was ‘boyfriend’. boyfriends, apparently, do not make good emergency contacts. we joked about there being an ‘embassy’ as a possible role. my brow lifted into creases and ridges. my mouth was nothing but teeth. i liked the sound of embassy. it sounded important. official. the stuff emergency contacts are made of.
ultimately, you chose ‘other’ as my relation to you.
offended at first (though, not quite sure why) i thought about this to myself (is there any other way to think about something?) and i repeated it in my mind…over and over and over and…
other
other
other
and
i’m your other
and
i’m YOUR other
and
yes, i’ll come when i hear the call.
because that’s what we do for each other.
