Cody & Joe

Our Story

Dear Reader,

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Wait, no, that isn’t quite right. How about… All happy families are alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in their own way. No, that still isn’t it… Alright, let’s take it from the top! 

Dear Reader,

The story I’m about to tell you isn’t a fairy tale. In fact, to suggest such a level of perfection would be disingenuous. This story is rather more real, it comes with ups and downs, laughs, smiles and yes, the occasional tear. This story is about two people who happened to be lucky enough in the great sea of billions to find one another and carve a path together. 

Our story begins simply enough, boy meets boy. Picture it, Sicily, 1914 (just kidding!), more like Connecticut in September of 2021. There’s this little dating app, perhaps you’ve heard of it - Tinder. You know the one, it introduced the world to the concept of swiping left on the less than desirable connections (usually superficial, based on a picture and a few words or worse yet, emojis) and swiping right on potential love.

That seems like a heady phrase no? Potential love? On a dating app? Of course, that isn’t the catch. The catch is, the person on the other end of the smart phone must also swipe right, ensuring the connection exists on both sides.

So enter our protagonists, Cody, a 30 something hailing from New York, and Joe, a 20 nothing hailing from the great white north (not Canada, Alaska, the other north). Both gentlemen find themselves looking for something, or maybe they aren’t looking for anything at all. Maybe they’re just trying to see what’s out there in this big wide world, or this small town of New Haven. Sure enough, they make the fateful decision to swipe right. Moments later there’s a message from Joe, and a reply from Cody. It keeps going like this for awhile you see, back and forth, to and fro.

It seems, as the days pass, that there might just be something between these two. So, our intrepid daters decide to meet - in person, face to face. So they do. They meet at little restaurant on College Street. It’s called South Bay and as it turns out, it is one of Cody’s favorites.

They hit it off, nerves finally subsiding. At one point Joe unknowingly orders a glass of red wine (he doesn’t like red wine, but he drinks it anyway). Joe and Cody share a rather lackluster dessert. Joe gives Cody a ride home, (it was raining that day.) Cody makes the first move and kisses Joe.

After that it seems the two could hardly be driven apart. Phone calls and texts, visits every other day or so. As the short months pass (remember dear reader, it had been October by the time they actually met), the declarations of love would follow. Joe, naturally, would say the words first.

By the time December came around, their lives were about to change one more time. Cody has a cat, his name is Gryllis and by the time you’re reading this he will be nearly 10 years old. Gryllis is, of course, a majestic creature with all the ambition and confidence one could want in a companion. How did he get such an odd name, you ask? That’s a story for a different day. Joe and Cody had both grown up with dogs. Yes, a far cry from the regal house cat, I know. Sure enough, the opportunity for Cody to take in a dog arose, and well, he jumped at the opportunity.

That dog is Loki. He’s pretty fantastic, and I could go on for ages about this little pup (okay, so he’s not that little, 60 pounds, two years young and sweet as pie), but he isn’t the subject of this little bit. Cody would ask Joe to stay awhile, help him get used to having a dog, and managing the dog and the cat. So Joe stayed…and as fate would have it, this would be the excuse to move in together. Joe packed his bags and moved to quaint little Church Street.

Now fast forward. Careful, careful not too far! Through thick and thin, the two protagonists would reaffirm their love for one another over and over again. You see, it isn’t all roses and sunshine. It is effort, it is work, it is a challenge that forces two to work together as one without losing sight of themselves along the way.

In the spirit of that love, and that unshakeable bond, Cody and Joe humbly ask that you chosen few, join them to celebrate their commitment and exceeding devotion to each other. To each and every one of you invited, they express their undying gratitude for your contribution to their story, for your endless support, and for your brilliance of character. They welcome you to the rest of their lives, for surely, we are all here to stay.