The Specialists

My wife traveled a great distance to be with me. Not only did she move from Ohio to Colorado, but she left the world of normal adult interests for the world of shameless geekery. Before she moved in with me, fantasy was an escape. Now it’s a way of life.

To her credit, she’s taken the the move in stride, and has made a new home here. Though she misses her home state, she loves the mountains. And while I assume she misses the company of functioning grown-ups, she graciously humors my many fascinations as one humors an overly enthusiastic child.

She’s read my favorite books and watched my favorite movies. She’s accompanied me to several midnight premieres, most of which were quite fun, though I do have to apologize for making her stay up for Tron: Legacy. The other night, after a commercial for the upcoming Captain America movie had played, she looked at me and said, “Are we going to see that at midnight?” but what I heard was “I love you.”

She’s even joined me at the gaming table, which is particularly brave. Books and movies and comics are passive entertainments, but gaming is actively — even aggressively — geeky. That’s commitment, right there.

This is not to say that she loves everything I love. She proved to be immune to the charms of Highlander and Tron, though to be fair, she was not equipped with my nostalgia-colored glasses. She does genuinely like some of the stuff I’ve exposed her to; the rest she tolerates. But I know that I’ve had a real influence on her. When a new shipment of superhero tee shirts arrived at the clothing store where she works, she made sure that the Marvel and DC characters were not mixed on the shelves. Because dammit, that just wouldn’t be right!

Love you, Babe!