His name was Bobby. He was a little waif in a bomber jacket and black boots, two days worth of beard concealing his boyish face. And he was a snotty little bastard. I asked him to dance and he said coolly, "I'm waiting for a Diana Ross song".
And then the DJ played "Chain Reaction". I looked over him and smiled. He flashed the most beautiful smile. I had him.
I remember so much about that night at La Cage in Milwaukee twenty one years ago. His ridiculous boots, the snow flurries outside, the tiny warm lobby of his twenties brownstone building, the rickety elevator, his bright red briefs, how wonderful it felt to hold him on a chilly fall night.
I was so crazy about him. We had a wonderful winter and spring. In reality, I guess he was my first real boyfriend. Wow, hadn't really thought of that.
Our lives took us in wildly different directions. I hadn't spoken with him since I moved to California in the mid-90's. On the internet, I read that he died on September 2nd, 2008, after a long battle with HIV.
Wherever you are, Bobby, thanks for the memory.
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5 comments:
It's weird how memories arise. What triggered this recollection, if I may ask?
sending you lots of hugs
You sent me on a web search for an old friend of mine from way back. No luck. But thank you for triggering the memories.
Change the name to Ricky and loaction to Baltimore and this was me at roughly the same time. Ricky was murdered in 2003 in a botched robbery attempt. It feels so strange to discover someone you were intimate with is dead. E-hus my friend, I think I know how you feel.
Jeff,
A well-written and rather touching story. I sure didn't expect it to end the way it did.
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