Back to the West End
Last time on Rugged Fox… Moving to Shipyard for a pink nightcap, Rugged locks himself in a washroom stall after running into a pack of young suburban gays. Feeling old and conservative, the balding Fox questions the reflection looking back at him in the mirror.
There comes a time in every gay man’s life when he has to part ways with his highly attractive cousins.
Outside Shipyard, I gave Drum and Heller each a prolific hug before saying goodbye.
“I am going to miss you both,” I said, tipping my non-existent cap. “And your sure we’re related?”
Smiling, I watched the two of them hop into an Uber, before heading to the sea bus.
As I set sail from the North Shore, I felt a welcome sense of relief to return to a familiar skyline. Looking out at the city lights, I closed my eyes, and felt my mind begin to drift.
“When will I see you again?” Mr. Serious asked, outside the front door of a restaurant.
“This was nice, but I don’t think it’s going to work.” I replied, honestly.
“I will make it work,” he asserted, pulling me in for a kiss.
“There was no question this man was a total top, which made me regret what I ate for lunch.”
When the rain arrived last winter, I resolved to start dating again. It had been over a year since Theodore J. Nelson moved from a star in my inbox to the trash can. And so, I agreed to a lunch date at a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Mount Pleasant.
“So, what do you do?” I asked, taking a bite into a delicious crispy spring roll.
“I work in a very serious position,” he replied.
By the time our cheque dropped, it was clear all we shared in common, was a lack of hair on our heads and companionship in our lives. Apart from that, we couldn’t have been anymore different. We worked opposite schedules, lived on different sides of Main Street, and had very different tastes in film.
You can understand why, I found myself somewhat confused, on our first date, we were now kissing.
“I will make it work,” he stated firmly again.
There was no question this man was a total top, which made me regret what I ate for lunch.
And then, well, wouldn’t you know it? He kept his word.
As the sky faded into black and the weeks passed, we turned into “boyfriends.” From East to West Vancouver, we ate out, ordered in, and twice cooked. The only trouble was, we weren’t a match, and neither of us was willing to be the first to admit it.
When the spring arrived and the sunshine returned, our time together ended in the same setting it started. After an embarrassingly loud argument over Lebanese cuisine and a rush for the bill, the two of us stood outside the front door of a restaurant, once again.
“So, I guess this is it?” he asked, looking down at the sidewalk.
“I think this is the page where our story ends,” I replied.
“I did make it work though,” his eyes locked into mine.
“You…”
---
“Excuse me sir, sir, sir!” A strange voice grew louder into focus.
Opening my eyes, I realized I was the only passenger left on the sea bus
“We have arrived. It is time for you to disembark this vessel.”
Tipping my non-existent cap, I thanked the good man for his service, and carried on back to the West End.
Read all of this misadventure from start to finish!
