Johnson City

J is for Jubilee, from Latin, to raise a shout of joy. A jubilant celebration from Latin jubilans meaning to "whoop and shout." J is for Just the two of us, in that rented car on our way to Johnson City for a wedding of a friend of a cousin of a friend. How did we get invited? J is for Johnson City. J is for Just doing 55 officer. You told the state trooper who pulled us over. I'm certain I was just doing 55 but I'm not used to this car. And then you asked him if Johnson City was so named because at one time only men lived there? He let us off with Just a warning anyway. J is for just a warning. We laughed joyfully. J is for Joyful, because we are.

U is for Ulalume. We were looking for something to read that night in the bed & breakfast off Route 17. It was back issues of Good Housekeeping or Poe. We laid naked under the quilt and read Poe to each other. Poe and foreplay? U is for Unlikely but it worked for us. U is for Under the quilt naked.
B is for Beautiful and I don't know the derivation. I don't need Latin. You are beautiful in any language and especially when you woke up that morning in upstate New York and sat up, your eyes not quite focused. You were more beautiful still behind the wheel of the stupid rented car looking back and forth, biting your lower lip and waiting for an opening to hit the gas and jump out into traffic. You never go easy on the gas pedal. You scare the bejesus out of me. B is for Bejesus and I really don't know what that means but you (insert any old verb here) the bejesus out of me every blessed day. Be is for blessed because I really think we are.

I is for I really really really do. I would be an idiot not to. I is for Idiot and I am not one of those. Nor are you. I is for I think we have plenty of time to get there but I like going fast. The windows are open and the seats are back and the music is loud. I is for I lost my license so you're still doing all the driving but you prefer it that way. You don't like the passenger seat. I is for I will take care of the map and the radio. I prefer it that way.
L is for let's pull over at the scenic overlook and sit for a while. L is for the lone car parked up there, an old couple eating in the car and we park on the opposite end. L is for look at that view. What city is that way over there? L is for the Love and of course making love in the rental car at the scenic overlook with city off in the distance. L is for Looking at us as in oh shit they're looking at us, but we close our eyes and you wrap your arms around my neck and pull me closer and we don't stop and it's joyous and jubilant even if we just whoop and shout a little bit. L is let's be this joyous forever. L is for Late, from the Middle English laet meaning not on time and don't ask me why I know this. We're going to be late and we really don't care because after all we barely know these people and the old couple tore off that scenic overlook pretty quickly anyway.

E. And the other E. There are two E's and they are for Ever and Ever. Because we did promise on that scenic overlook on the way to Johnson City, just like a couple love struck teens and it's probably just a coincidence that there are two E's in teen also, but maybe not, that we would be this joyous not only forever but for ever and ever as well. E is for Excellent just because I feel excellent and we're back on the highway with just a short way to go to Johnson City, which is not the city we saw on the overlook before we closed our eyes and shut out everybody and everything else. E is for everybody and everything else. It's just you and me in the car and the windows are down and we're sharing our secret smiles and secretly just a little happier than we admit that the old couple didn't call the police. E is for egregious because shocking the bejesus out of old people at scenic overlooks could be considered an egregious example of poor taste. Or maybe, you say, taking your eyes off the road and keeping your foot pressed on the gas pedal, they rushed home to share their own joy and jubilant celebration. Maybe, you say, they are keeping their own promises.