Travel Notes, Part 4...

To see quote from the trip, click HERE.
To see Travel Notes, Part 1, click HERE.
To see Travel Notes, Part 2, click HERE.
To see Travel Notes, Part 3, click HERE.

Enrique: So, as I mentioned in Part 3, it was our last night in Toronto. I had been out to two places, and had a fun, good time, but I had to ultimately take care of my needs myself. Then I packed everything away, and left the area. In the front room, though, where all the porno movies for rent and sale are, I noticed this really hot black guy in a suit. So I thought maybe I'd hang around a bit and make eye contact and see what developed. Big old fat nothing is what developed.

But while I'm doing this, I notice this other guy entering the room. I'll give you a physical description: 5'6" tall, well proportioned, maybe 120-125 lbs. max. I later found out he was half Thai and half Puerto Rican. He has black hair cut very close to his head so it was little more than stubble. He had large almond shaped eyes. His ears stuck out a bit, but mainly from the haircut. His teeth were not in perfect alignment, but they were clean. He was wearing a black and white jacket, black t-shirt and black pants with, I later found out nothing underneath. His skin was a light brownish color seen in both members of his heritage.

He saw me looking at him and in the demure way most Canadians do, he immediately looked away. I didn't, brass American that I am. So that when he looked back, I was still looking. I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow, and he smiled. And I swear he blushed.

So after a bit of this back and forth, this cat and mouse game, this flirtation, we both made it back into the room I had left just moments ago. And there the sex commenced. I'm sorry to anyone interested, but there are people who read this who aren't, so I won't give explicit details, other than to say that the sex was probably the best I had had on the trip, and he was an outstanding kisser (and that's important to me), and we were both immediately attracted to each other. There was a connection I hadn't felt with another else on the trip, a chemisty. There were veritable sparks between us.

Following the sex, we composed ourselves and talked a bit. I asked him to walk me back to my hotel, which he agreed to do. As we did, I reached out and took his hand. he looked at it, and looked at me, and asked, "What's this all about?" I asked if he didn't want to. He replied, "Oh no, I do, I just...I don't normally hold hands on the first date." "So holding hands on the first date is out, but fucking on the first date is okay?" And we laughed.

We stopped and I sat back against a wall and pulled him into me. My arms around his waist, his around my neck, we stood there and kissed and talked a bit more. About nothing really substantial, and totally ignoring the white elephant in the space between us: our obvious connection. i'm not sure what it was, I mean I knew the guy less than an hour at this point, but I definintely knew I wanted to get to know him better. I didn't want to say goodbye to him, but I knew I was leaving Toronto in less than 12 hours. And so did he. So perhaps that's why we didn't talk about serious things, only soft, easy, fluffy things. Inconsequentials.

He took from his pocket a pack of new unopened playing cards. He opened them and took all the cards out, fanning them facedown on the wall. He told me to pick one. I was like, "Card tricks?" he just told me to pick one. And then he did. He said, "All cards, even playing cards, can be used to channel energy and reveal things, much like Tarot cards." I told he was full of shit. He kissed me smiling, and then said to show each other our cards. I had the eight of hearts, he had the king of clubs. "So what energy does this show you?" I asked. He took my eight of hearts and gave me the king of clubs and said, "Whenever I look at your eight of hearts, I'll think of you and my heart will beat eight times faster. And when you look at my king of clubs, you'll think of me and know that you're my king. And I like your club."

Silly? Yeah. Corny? You bet. Romantic, sweet, endearing and touching? Oh, absolutely!

I slapped his arm and called him silly, and then we kissed again. And then we continued walking back to the hotel. But slowly, cause really neither one of us wanted to get there. I wanted some water, so we went by the hotel to the 7-11 across the street. I got a bottle of water, and bought him a bottle of some kind of juice, he picked it out, I don't know what kind.

We walked back towards the hotel. There is a long, low flowerbed in the middle of the sidewalk. He jumped up on the wall of that, which just about brought him even with me, so we stood face to face. We said a few more words, placed our bottles next to his feet, and then, with our arms wrapped around each other, kissed again. Each kiss was filled with desire and passion, for we both knew that more than likely this was going to be the only time we had together.

I told him I wished I had met him earlier in the vacation. He said he saw me walk by him Saturday night on Church Street, and he liked what he saw, but didn't pursue the issue. He said he felt extremely lucky when he saw me this night. I told him I was the lucky one.

I did not have my camera with me, so I couldn't get a photo of him, but I did have my iPod with me, which was very unusual. I didn't usually take anything with me when I went out, I didn't want to have to worry about it falling out during anything and getting lost or stolen. But I didn't realize my iPod was in my pocket until I was a block or so from the hotel, and wasn't going back. I was just extra diligent about keeping track of it.

At any rate, remembering I had it, I pulled away from him, and pulled him off back to the sidewalk. Then I gave him one earbud, I took the other one. I scrolled through my music, and luckily, "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller was near and that would do. So I started playing that. I put my right hand on his lower back, he put his left arm on my shoulder. We smiled and he giggled while we did this. then I took his right hand with my left and we started swaying slowly to the song.

It wasn't long before he leaned in against me, his head on my chest. I put my cheek atop his head and we slowly danced. Right there, on Alexander Street, right off the main drag Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. At 2:00 in the morning. And it seemed as if we were the only people there.

I know I closed my eyes to experience everyting else: the sound of his humming along, the coolness of the air on my skin, the heat of his body next to mine, the stubble of his hair brushing the stubble on my cheek, the slightly sweaty, musty, post-coital smell of both of us, the taste of his juice on my lips and tongue that I had absorbed from his mouth.

And then all too suddenly, the song ended. It went to a song by the Crystal Method, which definitely isn't slow dancing music. As I wrapped the cords around the iPod to put it back in my pocket, we were both gazing at each other. I'm pretty sure his eyes were a bit moister than normal, and I damn well know mine were.

We held hands the half a block it took to get to the hotel driveway. There we stopped and we kissed again. then he said, "I'm going to tell you something that I want you to take to heart. When you get home, you find yourself someone to be with, someone special. Because you are very special yourself and only deserve that. Don't settle for anyone that's not worthy of you. You have so much love to give, make sure you're giving to the right person." I started to ask him why he was saying all this, but he put his finger to my lips to stop me and said. "I want you to be happy, and if you're not happy, I'm going to come down there to Pennsylvania and kick you in the ass for being stupid." I laughed but he continued, "Since we can't be happy together, I insist you be happy with whomever you're with. I'm serious."

I started to tell him the same thing, but he stopped me again, and shook his head. "I'll be fine. I always am. But I'll be even better knowing that you're happy. Promise me, okay? Promise me." And I did. What else could I do?

Then he took my hand and walked me towards the doors to the hotel. We parted before we got there, he continued walking on to the next street as I went to the doors, but we kept looking back at each other, and we waved a few times. Then he stopped and shouted, "Remember what I said!" I nodded, and he disappeared around the building.

I don't really know what was going on between us. i haven't felt like that for anyone, except maybe for Ed the first time I met him Course, Ed and I had a few days together cause I met him early in that trip. But we didn't exchange information, Enrique and I, because he didn't want to. He said neither one of us wanted false hope for anything in the future. And I'm teary eyed now, wishing I had made him give me info or take mine, or wishing I had thought to take a photo with my cellphone, cause I have no picture of him.

But I still have that King Of Clubs in a safe prominent place in my apartment.

POLT Listening to "Moonlight Serenade" by Glen Miller

I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can play all night! - Calvin & Hobbes