Mitch

Over the weekend, my roommate, Vianni, and I met this guy. He's the one on the right (roomie on the left). He was actually the sibling of one of our friends at school. He flew in from Minnesota to visit her but didn't see much of her as he spent the majority of his time with us. 

Now I know what you're thinking. This guy is from Minnesota, not New York. That's cheating. Well, although he isn't from New York, I did meet him here and this was his first ever experience being here. Being with him while he traversed the city for the first time was exhilarating to say the least. His reactions to things like the subway, hobos, New York pizza, and other norms of the city that we take for granted was such a fun rush for Vianni and I. It was almost like reliving our first times in the city and it was a great thing to be a part of.

That was only one aspect of this guy we liked. As an openly gay guy since the middle of high school, I've come accustomed to other straight guys not digging me so much. I never had many guy friends in high school, I had felt normal in a homophobic upbringing. This guy, however, had developed one of the greatest "bro" relationship with me in the short weekend he was here. By the end of our time together we felt so comfortable with each other. We'd laugh, rough house, and just be guys. It was almost like an experience I've never had before. I have guy friends now in college, but nothing like the level Mitch and I had in two days. When he left, we had a final text exchange (yes, we were at texting level). This message was actually one of the heart warming compliments I've ever received. Mitch might be the best example of someone who I'll never want to forget despite the fact I'll probably never see him again. It was definitely the perfect RememberMeNYC.