At the OKC rodeo, I chatted with a striking fella for a good chunk of time. It was something I didn’t think too much of as it was one of those conversations I was just happy to have. This man is what I’d consider, out of my league.
Stupid to think of such things, I know, but that notion allows me to relax and be myself. Nutty.
In parting, I told him to look me up and promised to do the same. There were no trick cards. No scribbles on paper. Just a mental exchange. Upon my return to Cincy, his school’s website was down, and my search ended momentarily.
A day later, I get an email from him.
He’s not used to computers yet, only forced to use them while on campus. He found my site though and dropped a note. Said he’d like to share more and asked for my physical address to send me some of his work.
The emails bounced back and forth a while, then turned into lengthy phone calls – hours long.
Packages came weekly with more insight. He wasn’t providing me assets for a website, he was opening up to me in his analog way.
Our meeting in St. Louis was happenstance. He would be visiting town with friends to pick up some auction items, and I would be driving through.
We agreed to meet and the first night was bittersweet. Bonding with someone in a bar just sucks.
In days gone by, communication with letters to express feelings were not uncommon. Thing is, folks usually we’re in love and separated by some odd circumstance.
The way this happened is all backwards.
A bad night at the bar did not foil us however, and we met up the next day.
The not-too-short drive from STL to KC though was super fun. We bonded quite well, and at one point, he reaches over to hold my hand. We drive that way for a few minutes and just bask in the sun filtering through the windows as the landscape zips by and the music sounds good.
Beer bust and dinner were good, but spending time back at his place was the best.
By the end of the whole whirlwind weekend, we came to the conclusion, there’s something here.
We’re not going to stress about that, but enjoy any time we can manage together.
He suggested some time ago, that we “do” Dore Alley at the end of July and check out neighboring burgs south of the Bay… Extending the trip to a full week.
This came about as I was hellbent on doing the roadtrip I had planned.
Oh well, I’ll just have to extend it, and drive down the coast from Seattle to SF.
The really neato part is, once this fella learned of my modified trip, he’s decided to fly into Seattle to accompany me on the coastal sojourn to SF.