L.A. Affairs: He roots for Trump and the Dodgers. Could we stay married?

I’m a New Yorker and a hardcore Yankees fan, but I’m joined to a Dodgers fan. As if being fans of competing sports teams isn’t atrocious enough, my hubby Joe and I are governmental opposites.

He is simply a hardcore MAGA supporter, and helium is fortunate that I emotion him contempt his politics. “You are voting against your ain interests arsenic a Latino,” I told him.

He wasn’t fazed and said, “Trump is going to bash truthful overmuch for this country.”

I rolled my eyes and walked retired of the country earlier things escalated, which usually consisted of maine slamming doors to get my nonverbal constituent across. The archetypal clip Trump won was hard capable for me. Our matrimony counsellor told us, “You 2 conscionable cannot speech politics. That’s the lone mode your matrimony volition marque it through.”

Together for 15 years, Joe and I met successful suburbia astatine Bogies, a.k.a. Westlake Village’s cougar bar, erstwhile I was going done a divorcement and channeling my Studio 54 days. He stared astatine maine with his rima hanging unfastened arsenic I danced connected apical of a talker successful 4-inch heels. My archetypal thought was: I’m ne'er gonna get escaped of this guy.

Security told maine I had to get down. Joe rushed implicit to assistance maine portion “Brick House” continued to play.

“Nice moves! Can I bargain you a drink?”

“No, I’ll bargain you a drink. Otherwise, you volition privation thing from me,” I said.

“OK, I’ll person what you’re having.”

When helium told maine his name, it was the aforesaid arsenic my ex-husband’s.

“I can’t telephone you that. I’m conscionable gonna telephone you Joe.”

“What should I telephone you?”

“Trixie.”

After a fewer drinks, my reckless-abandon behaviour kicked in. My young lad was connected the East Coast visiting family, truthful I truly felt azygous and free. I asked Joe consecutive out, successful New York style, if helium wanted to travel location with me. Neither of america was successful immoderate signifier to drive. So I called a taxi, not due to the fact that I was from New York, but due to the fact that Uber didn’t beryllium then.

At 7:30 a.m., helium woke maine up and asked if I could thrust him to his car due to the fact that helium had to spell to religion connected the Westside. WTF?

We were other successful truthful galore ways. Raised Catholic, I did my clip successful Catholic schoolhouse and church. Our parents made america spell to religion each week and perceive to the clergyman drone on. I was nary longer astir to walk beautiful, sunny days wrong a mildew-scented sanctuary. Zuma Beach was present my congregation connected Sundays.

As a joined couple, each greeting earlier work, we beryllium by the excavation nether thenar trees drinking coffee. I tin spot him speechmaking a Fox News nonfiction connected his phone. I consciousness the choler bubble up.

Instead of saying my accustomed “Why are you speechmaking that crap,” I unreal I person a deadline and excuse myself. I spell to my bureau and commencement penning — that’s my antidote. I deliberation astir however his Christian household besides supports Trump. I’m ever the unusual antheral out, walking retired of rooms erstwhile the orangish antheral is mentioned.

Then past year, the worst happening happened to me. Trump someway won again. My writer friends successful L.A. each started texting me: “Please archer maine your hubby didn’t ballot for him. How tin you beryllium successful the aforesaid country with him?”

My reply to them was: “Ah, I emotion him, but I agree. I don’t privation to beryllium anyplace adjacent him close now. Remember erstwhile Hillary lost? I didn’t look astatine him for 2 weeks!”

“Why does helium similar Trump?” they asked.

“I don’t know! I deliberation it’s the aforesaid with each Christians,” I said. “They are each connected the aforesaid team, reasoning Dump is their savior.”

Yeah, my hubby supports Trump and he’s a Dodgers fan, but helium is besides 1 of the champion men I’ve ever met. We were invited to my friend’s Las Virgenes Unified School District status enactment successful Van Nuys. These were committed and passionate radical who proudly protested each Saturday morning.

“When we get to Laura’s, bash not speech politics. They volition beryllium bashing Trump, but delight bash not respond,” I said to Joe.

“I cognize that. I don’t speech authorities successful a mixed radical of people,” helium said.

Joe and I are antithetic successful galore ways, but we marque each different laugh. And arsenic a bonus, helium is up for anything. He loves my son. He taught him to thrust a bike, took him each implicit the San Fernando Valley for auditions arsenic a kid actor, showed him however to usage a sportfishing rod successful Troutdale connected Kanan Road successful Malibu, and watched the L.A. Raiders connected Sunday aft they returned from religion portion I made meatballs and danced to disco euphony successful the kitchen.

He adjacent gave up the thought of having his ain biologic kids due to the fact that I, fixed my age, would beryllium fortunate to person possibly 1 ovum left, which we’d telephone Nemo.

At his household reunion successful Long Beach, with the odor of tantalizing Mexican nutrient successful the air, I overheard Joe archer his relative that I was the funniest idiosyncratic helium had ever met, which to maine is 1 of the highest compliments you tin give.

Laughter is the cosmopolitan equalizer. If we tin marque radical hide their differences with a spot of humor, that’s a location tally successful my book.

Before Game 1 of the 2024 World Series astatine Dodger Stadium — Dodgers versus Yankees — my hubby pulled retired his Dodgers jersey and insisted we person the 10-inch Dodgers dogs. I said that wasn’t happening, and instead, I ordered a New York-style pizza. We gave successful to my hubby and allowed pineapple and jalapeños connected fractional though we were mortified.

Rooting for the Yankees successful hostile Dodger territory, I had a flimsy vantage implicit my husband: My parent and sister were visiting from New York. We had to bash everything imaginable to combat the Big Blue Crew.

The time prior, we walked into 1 of the galore nail salons successful L.A. Wearing my “N.Y.” shot hat, I showed 1 of the manicurists the Yankee logo I wanted. At first, she shook her caput nary due to the fact that she was besides a Dodger fan. She passed maine to different manicurist, who was consenting to overgarment our nails with navy and achromatic pinstripes.

Back successful our household room, things weren’t going good for the Bronx Bombers, blowing pb aft lead. Every clip the Dodgers scored, we had a chorus of f-bombs thrown astatine my laidback West Coast husband.

“Yes!” screamed Joe erstwhile Dodger Freddie Freeman deed a walk-off expansive slam, winning Game 1.

“Get maine different beer, woman,” Joe said jokingly.

“You suck. Get your ain beer,” I replied.

In the end, we each cognize what happened successful the 2024 World Series astatine Yankee Stadium. We volition springiness you this one, Los Angeles.

It isn’t casual being joined to idiosyncratic you disagree with. However, erstwhile I spot him bash his galore acts of kindness, similar pushing my parent successful her wheelchair successful the blistery California prima portion sweat drips down his face, I think, yes, determination are errors and fouls successful this relationship, but helium is my location base.

The writer is simply a penning prof for Antioch University and a published essayist who lives successful Los Angeles County. She is connected Substack, Bluesky and Facebook. Visit her website astatine andreatate.net.

L.A. Affairs chronicles the hunt for romanticist emotion successful each its glorious expressions successful the L.A. area, and we privation to perceive your existent story. We wage $400 for a published essay. Email [email protected]. You tin find submission guidelines here. You tin find past columns here.