Kevin and I went to different high schools, so we got together mostly on the weekends. Our Saturday nights began parked outside a liquor store in the Agricola Shopping Center. We'd ask someone of legal age going inside if they'd buy us a bottle of Bacardi if we gave them the money, plus a generous tip. It worked every time. Then we'd meet up with our friend Staci (pictured right) and immediately head to Sonic for frozen slushies to mix with the Bacardi. After that, it was off to the mall, or to a house party, or later - after the mall banned all teenagers from the parking lot we'd "cruise" Broad Street. And even though we had to get really creative to have any kind of fun in Gadsden, that time of my life gave me some of my best memories. Driving around with Kevin... blasting Cheap Trick...singing at the top of our lungs. And nights spent hanging out in his swimming pool, talking about how he wanted to be George Michael and how I wished I could dance like Janet Jackson. I asked Kevin what he remembered most about those days. "Definitely cruising Broad Street and the mall," he said. "And Gulf Shores." I laughed, remembering one of our beach trips when Kevin and I found ourselves both interested in the same cute guy. He was your typical 80s Tom Cruise-looking muscle guy, driving around the local beach arcade in a fancy convertible. I won that summer fling, but to this day, we both agree that it was only because Kevin wasn't trying hard enough. There were signs way back then that Kevin and I were already becoming the people we are now. I remember having a birthday party in January of my senior year. Inside, my house was filled with all these people eating and drinking, but Kevin and I were outside in the cold taking photos of each other with a disposable camera. We'd even hold it up facing us, taking selfies way before the term "selfie" ever existed. We were definitely becoming our authentic selves, but we both knew we had to get out of Gadsden in order to live our authentic lives. Gadsden is an extremely conservative town. Kevin and I were not. After high school, Kevin joined the Air Force and I went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I moved to Atlanta in 1994 to pursue an acting career, and Kevin ended up relocating there soon after. "I'd visited Atlanta and had my first experience of what a gay community could be," he said. "When I first came out to my family, it was a bit rough. I felt like some distance would be best, so I took off for Atlanta." Things did get better with Kevin's family after that, and he and I picked up right where we left off. There were endless brunches at Einstein's on Juniper, coffee dates at Cafe Intermezzo, and all night dance parties at The Chamber and Backstreet.
1987: Me, Staci and Kevin in Gadsden
1995: Headed to a holiday bash in Atlanta
2009: Home in Gadsden for the holidays