During the early stages of dating my wife, we were engaging in the traditional getting-to-know-you dance that involves sharing all of your interests and passions with each other. At that time, I warned her that I am in fact a rabid, die-hard Cubs fan, but that my passion was taking a bit of a hibernation as the team worked through a long and costly rebuilding process. I assured her that one day the passion would reignite, and the Cubs would once again take up a not insignificant portion of my free time—watching games, reading Cubs news and generally obsessing over the fortunes of the team.

But the springtime of my renewed affinity came much earlier than I expected. I had heard good things about this year’s team, and when the season was starting, I realized that my chemo home imprisonment meant that I could actually watch a 1:20 afternoon ballgame while I worked from home. I decided to go all-in and actually give the Cubs my full attention again—something I confess that I hadn’t done regularly in about four years. I would never renounce my love for the Cubs, but it just didn’t seem worth investing too much energy in them when the team’s own front office readily admitted that they were nowhere near playoff contention yet.

The only wildcard in this equation (until this past Wednesday’s Wildcard, that is) was Theresa. How would a non-baseball fan raised by wolves Cardinals fans adapt to this C-change in my life? In my defense, I had warned her. It was acknowledged in our pre-nup.

On Opening Day, we downloaded a free trial of an app that would let us watch the cable-televised game on my computer and stream it to our TV. (God bless America. And Steve Jobs.) Theresa indulged me by joining me on the couch for the majority of the game, but I think that’s mostly because I was a cancer patient. The game itself turned out to be incredibly boring and the Cubs lost. Nevertheless, I was undeterred and made it my business to learn the names and tendencies of the children on this young Cubs roster. I kept Theresa up to date on the magic unfolding at Wrigley, and she continued to watch games with me.

I don’t remember the exact date and time, but a little more than halfway through the season, I remember Theresa asking me if the Cubs had played yet that day. A choir of angels descended from Heaven. She wanted to watch! She was also getting to know the players, remembering them for various characteristics. Pitcher Jon Lester and first baseman Anthony Rizzo were immediate favorites because they had also both conquered Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Rookie phenom Kris Bryant was the golden boy. Middle infielders Addison Russell and Starlin Castro were the twins, with Russell being the good twin and Castro being the evil twin. Jake Arrieta was Jake Arrieta.

After my treatment ended, I crammed quite a few late-season Cubs games into my returning-to-life itinerary, and Theresa joined me for a couple of them. When we attended the second-to-last home game at Wrigley a couple weeks ago, my wife was about as die-hard and invested a fan as you can find at the Friendly Confines. She was timing her bathroom breaks so that she wouldn’t miss anything. She was rising to the occasion to cheer for Cubs’ pitchers when the count reached two strikes. She knew to buy peanuts at the 7-11 outside the park instead of from a Wrigley vendor.

She picked a fantastic season to begin her journey with the Cubs, and I’ve warned her that there may be heartache ahead, but for now we are enjoying this magical ride to the playoffs—and I’m grateful that my partner in life is now also my partner in pinstripes.

This weekend we return to Indiana to see her family, and the Cubs vs. Cardinals rivalry will get personal. Don’t worry, she did an extra load of wash last night so that all of her Cubs clothes would be clean for the trip.

Incidentally, I’ve been ignoring this blog in favor of my Cubs blog, and that will probably continue throughout the Cubs playoff run. I don’t write a lot about statistics and stuff, but more about the feelings and emotions of being a Cubs fan. Check out some recent posts, if it thrills ya:

Why Pope Francis Should Be A Cubs Fan

For Cubs Fans, It’s Either Sadness or Euphoria

Five Things That Will Not Influence the Outcome of Today’s Cubs Game

Not Your Father’s Chicago Cubs

Go, Cubs, Go!