Seven Weeks Later
“Do you want to join me for a drink?” I texted my handsome friend Elijah.
It was 11:45 pm on a Tuesday night, and for the first time in years, I was back on Davie Street. Sitting at 1181, I took a sip from a double gin and tonic and remarked upon my outfit. My original intention was to look sexy; but as it turned out, I dressed up as a closeted lumberjack.
“I’ll be there in fifteen,” replied Eli.
Thank Meryl, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was grateful not to be alone.
That is the best part about having single gay friends in the city. They are always up for a drink after the rest of the world has gone to bed.
…
“Do you want to see what he looks like?” I asked Mama and Papa Fox.
It was the first week in November and I was back home in Winnipeg to visit my folks.
Taking a stroll through Assiniboine Park, I basked in the blue sky and sunshine of the prairies. Tipping my hat to the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ statue, I waved hello to old my friend the pavilion, and introduced myself to the new conservatory.
“Here, let me see,” Mama Fox said, reaching for my phone.
“I don’t see him!” she exclaimed a moment later.
In the space of two seconds, she had managed to shrink Theodore’s image and open up every other app on my phone.
…
“How long will you be away for?” asked Mr. J. Nelson, passing me my jacket.
As our nineteenth date concluded, I tucked my chambray shirt into my chinos and strapped on my waterproof shoes. The air in his apartment smelled like popcorn and sweat.
“Seven days,” I replied, slipping my hands into each coat arm. “I fly out tomorrow.”
“Can you message me when you get home?” he leaned in for a kiss.
“Tonight, or tomorrow?” I kissed him.
“Both! Now, don’t forget your umbrella. It’s insanely wet out there.”
…
“OKAY! I NEED TO HEAR EVERYTHING! WHO IS THIS GUY?” my gorgeous friend Tara swung a glass of rosé in the air. “OH! AND THAT BOXED WINE COSTUME? I JUST CAN’T!”
It was a Wednesday afternoon in my hometown, and my childhood friend Tara and I were out for half-priced wine and lady’s lunch. Seated in a trendy new restaurant, the window adjacent our table featured a gentle snowfall, and an unobstructed view of IKEA.
“UGH! Did I mention the girls barely slept last night? I don’t think I have slept in three years! Let’s not talk about it. What matters is that you’re here! YOU’RE ACTUALLY HERE! YOU’RE BACK! I can’t believe it! Oh Rugged, did I mention the girls barely slept last night? Are you hungry? I AM STARVING!”
Sensing my dear friend was two sips away from passing out on the table, I ordered every appetizer on the menu.
“Seated in a trendy new restaurant, the window adjacent our table featured a gentle snowfall, and an unobstructed view of IKEA.”
…
“I can’t wait to see you when I get back,” I texted Theodore, along with a picture of myself and Winnie the Pooh.
“I hope you are well!” I messaged, two days later, from the washroom at Carlos & Murphy’s.
“I am finally watching Squid Game!” I wrote on day five. “Look forward to discussing it the next time we meet.”
My entire week on the prairies, I cast myself as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Dishing one story to the next, I entertained friends and family with tales of my newfound man. All the while glancing down at my phone, wondering if he was now lost.
“Hi,” popped up a new message from Theodore, as I was checking in for my return flight. “Sorry… work is crazy busy right now… too much on my plate… just need to get through these next six weeks… safe trip back.”
…
“Come on Rugs, it is time to go home. I will walk you,” Elijah wrapped his arm around my elbow.
It was three o’clock in the morning, and the bars on Davie Street were closed. As the night unfolded, my cocktail at 1181, turned into ten thousand more at The Junction and Pumpjack.
It had been seven weeks since I last saw Theodore. A series of intermittent text messages, and a palpable sense of loneliness kept me hanging on.
“Did I mention you are handsome Eli?” I teetered left, before tottering right.
“Several times tonight, as a matter of fact. Now come on, it is time to get you home.”
“You think I’m handsome right?”
“Of course, Rugged.”
Author’s Note: Happy Holidays and cheers to a New Year! I will see you in 2022.
