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Howard and I met through a mutual friend during the pandemic in 2021. They’re a talented artist in Philly, and during lockdown, they started hosting virtual painting nights to share their creativity and keep everyone connected. They invited both of us to join one of their sessions, even though we hadn’t met before. During the class, the challenge was to paint a sunset over a city skyline. I was in my apartment in Philly, and Howard was all the way down in Elkton, MD, but through the magic of Zoom, we ended up chatting about how bad we both were at blending colors. He joked that his sunset looked like a campfire explosion, and I teased him about how his skyline was more of a ‘skyblob.’ A few months later, as restrictions eased up, our friend invited me over to see some of their new work. They casually mentioned that Howard would be stopping by, too, since he was planning to visit Philly that weekend. When he walked in, it was like meeting an old friend in person for the first time. We talked for hours, sitting on their couch, surrounded by beautiful paintings. Not long after, Howard and I decided to redeem ourselves with a paint-and-sip date night. Armed with wine and a lot of determination, we tried our hand at painting again—and this time, we actually created something halfway decent! Those paintings are still hanging in our home as a reminder of how it all began. At least, that’s how WE say it happened. The real story? Well, let’s just say that parts of it are as blurry as Howard’s campfire explosion sunset.