jess and james There are some things in life that just go together well; sushi trains and soy sauce, Ingrid Michaelson and ukuleles, public holidays and double time and a half, Jess and James. We asked this quirky couple from Sydney to write a little something about each other without consulting their better half. Here is what they had to share. Jess: I met James through a mutual friend who, with a disgruntled sigh, introduced us by saying “Jess this is James. James this is Jess. And yes, you both love Lord of the Rings.” This of course opened up a plethora of conversation topics in and around Lord of the Rings, resulting in the discovery of many mutual tastes and the foundations of an excellent friendship. Nine months later at my 21st birthday, pushed finally to the brink by wine, pent up sexual attraction and a very dear, but shamelessly interfering friend who shall remain nameless, but very much appreciated, we hooked up in a spectacularly immature way, resulting in a pair of broken
glasses, much scandalised gossiping, and a wonderful relationship that has continued for eight months and hopefully many more months, years... hence! It’s not that fashionable to be in love, but I will defy the eye-rolls and retching noises and say that I really do love James immensely. And no, it’s not a gushy, naïve “first love”. I’ve been there and already done a second. I flatter myself it’s a somewhat more mature and pragmatic love, but no less passionate, genuine and fun because of that. That is not to say we do not have our problems. We certainly argue at times, sometimes over ridiculously banal and stupid things, less frequently over more serious issues. The arguments, when they do happen, are greatly assuaged by the effort we put into cultivating an extremely open and honest relationship in which both of us feel quite comfortable and also actively seek to discuss the more awkward and difficult issues that arise from being in a relationship. I love the way he talks about classical music with such passion and knowledge, and yet enjoys sitting through my six part Beatles documentary series with me. I love the way he compares me to a painting of an obscure Welsh goddess no-one else has heard of. I love the way he vexes me by playing
devil’s advocate, yet so often shares these very beliefs of mine he criticises. I love the way he enjoys old movies as much as I do (running the full gamut from silent to sound). I love that he wants to learn Norwegian because it is part of who I am. I love that he really enjoys spending time with my family and gets along with them so well, despite their eccentricities. I love his hair and his smile and his laugh and his eyes and his stubbornness and his temper and his walk and his pommy accent and the way he loves me.
James: My girlfriend is brilliant, beautiful and blonde, but that doesn’t even come close to explaining why I love her so much Jess and I met at the farewell of an old school friend of mine who doubled as her then tentatively ‘ex’ boyfriend. We were introduced by a mutual friend, who did so with a resigned sigh. Sighing because he knew that he had exiled himself from conversation with either of us for the rest of the evening, so engrossed in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ dissections as we inevitably became. At the end of the party we awkwardly exchanged numbers and promised to meet for a lunch or a lecture soon. The months went by with regular but physically restrained lunches until Jess’ Beatles bash. With me dressed as Paul McCartney and both of us fuelled by too much wine, we grounded eight months of sexual tension in an outburst of cataclysmic immaturity. I mean ‘cataclysmic’ literally (Think of flowerbeds destroyed and glasses broken). An event which has since been much mythologised to our enduring embarrassment. I called her the next day and asked her to the theatre. That’s a sort of cliffnotes on how it all began. Since then, one of the things in my life that gives me
the most joy is my relationship with Jess. Not only does she make every moment I’m with her exciting and comforting, but she has used her magical girlfriend powers to make times that would otherwise have been extremely emotionally harrowing, bearable. She introduced me to the Beatles. She is made of flowers. She knows more about ‘The Lord of the Rings’ than I do. I know that I can tell her anything and only be laughed at a little bit. Her sneeze sounds like an aeroplane. Her room looks like an aeroplane crashed. She drinks tea by the pint and she’s can’t walk past a Vinnies without going inside. I love Jess for so many reasons and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have someone like her in my life. Do you know an amazing couple? Let us know info@ spitpress.com photo: Steph Kent
THE SPIT PRESS | SYDNEY’S CREATIVE NEWSPAPER | VOL 1, ISSUE 2 | 23