As the story goes, she looked at me with a Cheshire grin and said, "Is that all?" I quickly replied, "Yeah, but can I get you something to drink?!" She said yes and made a point to remind me to "hurry it up.” If this all sounds foreign to you, be sure to take a quick jump over to the “About” page and have a look…

So when she asked for a shot of Ketel One with a lime and a Diet Coke back, you can bet your bottom dollar I brought two. Lord knows a woman of her stature should never drink alone! I think we can all agree that would just be plain rude.

At the time, we were both in our early twenties. We lived each minute as if it was our last and the nights were our stage. Raves had just a few years prior, become “legal” events. Ann and I still miss the whole hide and seek process we both experienced back in the early 90s. You can catch us talking about “those days” at least once a year. Ann will always say, “As much of a pain as it was to get a flyer for a “party,” find a payphone and then find out the flyer is one of three and you didn’t get the one that gave you directions, looking back on it, I kind of miss it, but damn… what a nightmare!”

Whether it was the hottest back street in Atlanta, darkened chamber gathering or a showcasing of Rabbit in the Moon, you’d find Ann and me there with bells on! And just as quickly as another weekend had started, we’d catch ourselves wondering where the time had gone as we found ourselves driving back home together on a Sunday morning, passing so many families heading to church. We’d never really had to say anything out loud, I could just simply feel her every thought.

From the first few days we were together, we had a knack for speaking to one another without ever having to say a word. I’m sure it might have been a bit unnerving for someone to witness especially when we’d both raise our eyebrows at each other and giggle at something.

Fast forward almost two decades and that connection still, quietly, holds strong. Like most long-term relationships, we have our core diminutives and hypocorisms. Having fallen into the lackadaisical parental trap, three of our four daughters have had their names “unofficially” changed along with most of the animals that have ever taken up residence.  Ann seems to have always been the frontrunner in any rebranding efforts and it almost seems that every other day brings a new campaign.

“Before you come home, “she’ll say to me when she needs me to stop at the grocery store, “make sure you pick up some Milk, T.P., D.C.,  D.O for your B.O and something for dinner.” Ann has an affinity for acronyms too. “T.P.” is a call sign for toilet paper. “D.O. for your B.O.” is short for deodorant and that’s right, “D.C.,” is equivalent to Diet Coke.

As I pointed out in “Day 6,” Ann was a consumer of the “recently shunned” sugary, diet soft drinks for well over a decade. She’s a juice and water kind of woman now. I believe I haven’t seen her drink a Diet Coke in almost ten years…

So in honor of all those who swim with the moon and the stars, I present this can of Diet Coke. Every time I see a can of D.C. now, I can still see her inviting every thunderous reverberation, every flicker, and every flare to tickle her soul. I know what’s not said, she will forever hear and most importantly, I see her, just as unconditionally as I did when I first laid eyes on her… almost eighteen years ago.

Medium: Watercolors
Size: 6 x 4 (inches)
Materials: 90lb Cold Press Paper
Frame: Mini Wooden Shadow Box with Glass (4 5/8"W x 6 5/8"T x 1.25"D)
Completed: Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Artist: Adam Kiger
Represented By: Park View Gallery
Artist's Website: www.adamkiger.com

Who is Ann and what is 31 flavors of love?!