STRANGE DAYS
July 9, 2004

Last Friday night, after working both jobs, I settled down with a nice glass of wine and my laptop for a little online chatting (the gay.com kind). Somewhere between midnight and 1 AM, a guy I have been chatting with on and off for the better part of three years popped on and IMed me. James had been trying to meet me for years, but somehow or another we have never met... mainly because he's one of those -- "Won't you drive up to my place? It's only an hour away." -- kind of guys. When he said he would drive down to Charlotte from Hickory to meet for lunch the next day, I agreed and we made plans to meet.

Somehow or another, we got to chatting on the phone. I learned a lot more about him. He was now 25 and owned his own business (with 104 employees to be exact). As a high school drop-out, he was doing pretty good for himself. On the phone, I could tell he had a fun loving personality and would be an enjoyable person to be around. In the wee hours of the morning, he successfully convinced me to drive up to his place (an hour away) to cuddle and watch South Park.

Let me preface something here. I never ever leave the comfort of my house after midnight to meet strangers. But I got a good vibe from him, and this was NOT a hook-up meeting, so I wasn't feeling any sexual anxieties usually associated with such encounters.

James thoughtfully chatted with me on the phone for 99% of the drive, helping me to stay awake (and to partly make sure I still arrive). After an hour of idle chat and driving through backwoods fog, we met on the interstate (he drove up behind me). I followed him to his office, where we finally got to meet in person.

James is a cute 5'9" guy, with cute brown eyes, nicely toned skin, and a welcoming smile. We hugged, and then he showed me inside of his factory, where they make socks. Yes, socks. I asked if they made sock puppets and sock monkeys too, but he didn't care for my joke. I took a quick whiz, and then I rode with him to his place.

When we got to his place, James promptly climbed out of his clothes and jumped into bed. I took that as my cue and did likewise. I snuggled up to him, and we watched TV for a little bit. The poor thing fell asleep in no time. I didn't take it as a bad sign (at the time), so I did the same.

James owns his house, but rents out a portion to a friend Joe (or Paul or something). Around 10 in the morning, Joe or Paul or something walked into the room. No knocking. No nothing. I thought it was kind of odd, but it didn't faze James in the least. Joe was headed off to Bojangles and wanted to know if James wanted anything. James declined the request, and swiftly fell back asleep. Before he nodded off, I asked James if his roommate was used to seeing him in bed with another guy (Joe was straight). James said this was the first time. Huh huh... sure...

About an hour later, James got up, took a shower, and then got on the computer to check email, conduct business, who knows. I took a shower after him. We got dressed like we were going to do something, but ended up falling back asleep on the bed. Mind you, we still had not kissed or anything. Just cuddling... which was nice... I guess.

After noon or so, Joe or Paul or something walked into the room AGAIN. This time he was carrying his laptop and wanted to show James something online. I got up to look also. Now, this was the second time the roommate had entered the room, and the second time James failed to introduce me. I felt like Carrie on the episode of Sex in the City where Mr. Big neglects to introduce her to his friends. Was I too just a secret?

I was getting bored in bed and suggested we do something. He called his friend Julie (a middle-aged single woman) and we headed to KFC to get some to lunch to bring to her. He never asked me where I would like to eat, so I had to tag along. Luckily I was hungry as hell, so I didn't fucking care where we went... as long as I could ingest something.

Between his house, KFC, and Julie's house, James didn't talk much. Instead he was blaring the radio. Now, before you make an assumption he was listening to techno music or hip-hop, there is something to know about James. He is an avid Gospel fan. Not Contemporary Christian, but bluegrass slap your knee and Praise the Lord! gospel. It was kind of unique, but not something that I could have tolerated if we dated. Luckily the ride to Julie's house was short.

Julie was a long time friend of James, and I initially thought she was James' mother. She was about the right age, and she treated him like a son, and I swear he called her Mom a few times. Turns out, Julie is one of his employees. She had a nicer house than James, which I was sure was bought in part from a divorce settlement or the like. She and her little dog Bruiser (or something) lived alone in a nice modest house in suburban rural North Carolina. James DID introduce me to her, so he earned that point back.

Julie recently had purchased some framed art and was in the process of deciding where to hang them in her new home. James helped a little, but she needed more input, so James called over his friend Russell (another employee... yet gay and a part-time hairdresser). During the wait, I had to go to use the bathroom really bad. I couldn't wait any longer, so I snuck into the bathroom and stunk it up terribly. It was quite embarrassing, but I didn't care any more. The sounds and smells emanated from the bathroom I am sure, so there was no hiding my restroom secret. I was tired, away from home, and spending the day with someone who barely acknowledged my existence after arriving. Before Russell arrived, James wanted to know if I wanted to head back to my truck to go home. Nope. James was going to endure this day just as much as I was.

Help soon arrived in the form of his friends... Russell, Shane, and Andrew. All three were either current or former employees of James, and all three were gay... enough so that in no time Julie's pictures were hung, the living room re-arranged, and weeds pulled from the front lawn. It was just us five gay boys, Julie, and her little dog Bruiser (or something). After eating some watermelon and swatting away wasps, we all (except Julie and Bruiser) headed to Russell’s house for some good ol' back deck haircuts.

When we arrived in Russell’s trailer park, I quickly noticed how all of the trailers were neatly arranged up the side of a gentle sloping hill. And without the accents of trees and bushes, the multitude of mobile homes resembled a graveyard more than it looked like a place to dwell. Russell’s house though was the gay green thumb sticking out in the crowd. His plot was neatly landscaped with a nice variety of foliage and accent pieces.

First up in the back deck barber chair: Brandon. Russell took his scissors, and masterfully cut my hair-- all the while smoking a cigarette or arguing with his mother or father on the phone. Shane played with his new puppy; James watched from a corner (obviously bored) and gave Russell styling tips for my cut. Andrew sat behind me swatting at flies and watching the show with a smile on his face.

Up next was James for a cut... which was short and sweet since he didn't have that much hair to begin with. As I was admiring my new cut, the newly clippered James ran off to his car to get some money to pay Russell. I was going to give Russell what I usually give to my stylist, but James wouldn't allow it. James came back with what I thought was about $40 (after all Russell was a licensed beauty school graduate). As James tried to give Russell the money, it slipped and fell on the deck. I quickly counted 5 twenty-dollar-bills fall to the ground. That was some tip there!

Happy with our new hairdos, James and I got into the car, complete with its loud Southern Gospel, and headed back to my truck. The day was almost over. As he dropped me off, I got one more hug and FINALLY a short kiss. It was nice. He smiled at me, pointed out the directions to the interstate, and off we went in our separate directions. I got home to Charlotte about an hour later and tried to get some errands completed before the day was finished.

That night, I saw James online and thanked him for the visit. Looking back, I did enjoy meeting him and his friends, but I wish it had been in a more conventional way-- like a date. I liked James. I got a good feeling while I was with him, but I didn’t get the vibe back from him that he felt the same. So once again, I have another failed “date” to log in my life’s journal.