Toby & Larry: An Unconditional Love Story
Photo by Skyler King on Unsplash Even now, after all is said and done, after thirteen years together, after he is gone, I find it hard to explain Toby and me. December 10, 2005. Princeton, New Jersey: The first time ever I saw his face. There was snow on the ground. The air was frigid and dense with the hope of finding “the one,” and at the same time like a vacuum of held breath. Above the chaos, a leaden sky sagged, gray and heavy with inarticulate hope. “Is that Toby?” I asked a woman walking by. “It is,” she said. He was as handsome as he was in his pictures online; I leaned down, breathless, and he, unexpectedly, jumped into my arms, landing on my chest. Our hearts collided, seemed to stop for a moment and continued to beat in synchrony; his next exhaled breath matched mine exactly. The next breath, drawn in surprise, also in synch. We were Toby’s fourth home in less than two years. I spoke to his original owner once, just briefly. He explained that Toby had b