Sunday morning is quickly becoming early Sunday afternoon and I’ve got to get my butt in gear. Lots to take advantage of on a day off and there’s no time like the present, but I wanted to catch up here first…
An apology, some tension and an eerie familiarity
Since I had the day off on Friday and we didn’t go to Six Flags, I had a lot of time on my hands, and I figured I’d pay a surprise visit to my friend Nancy Lou. It had been a long time since I’d seen or spoken to him, a month in fact since he took me for my colonoscopy. I wanted to break the ice by paying him a visit. When I knocked on his door and he yelled out “who is it?,” I acted out a little nervous humor by answering “Charlie.”
Well, at first I think he believed I was a stranger named Charlie, but he soon realized it was me. Honestly, for a minute there I didn’t think he was going to let me in. He did though, after a tense couple of minutes, and once I got in he let me have it in his own way, which I deserved. As he did so, I was brought back to my days living with my grandparents in the Bronx.
Lou reminds me a lot of my grandfather. They’re both Sicilian, both large, imposing guys, and they both have tough exteriors on the outside and warm fuzzy hearts on the inside. Now my grandfather passed away in 2007 and he’d long since mellowed with age, but at one time he and I butted heads all the time and the way he used to yell at me often caused me heartache. In fact, it was an argument with him that caused me to leave his house and quit going to Fordham University, but that’s a whole other story.
Lou is not a lot like grandpa, but sometimes he reminds me of him and Friday he brought me back to tense moments with Joe Randazzo. I loved my grandfather and I love Lou, and this was the first time I think I ever made him angry with me. By the end of my visit, we were okay and I want to say publicly here to Nance that I’m sorry. Sometimes it just happens where we lose touch and I should have known better than to stay away for so long.
Nancy Lou is one of the most avid readers of this blog and for that I am grateful, as well as for the friendship he and I share. This one’s for him:
A straight girl goes to a Splash
I have to say, last night was one of the best times I’ve had at Splash in recent memory. My pal Reet was going to be in the city last night and she asked me if I wanted to meet her for dinner before I headed to the club, so I went. We met in Chelsea and had a really nice Mexican dinner at Maryanne’s on 8th Avenue, and then walked around for a bit before I asked her if she wanted to hit Splash with me. It was early and she had to pick some people up at a wedding downtown afterwards, and I figured I’d show her where I hung out before she had to go. Also, it was only 10PM, so I thought that I’d get in for free, or at least cheaper, which I did.
Just like Labor Day Sunday at Cherry Grove, I think Rita had a great time…no, check that, I know she did. It’s always funny bringing a fruit fly to a predominantly male gay bar for the first time. It makes you realize that some of the things you’re used to are very different from what they’re used to seeing. I remember when I first took my pal Vera to Thunders back in the day and I forgot to tell her that when gay friends greet each other, they usually give a kiss rather than a handshake, or that the restrooms, whether it says "Men" or "Women" on the door, are usually open to anybody. Her bulging eyes back then were hysterically funny to watch, as were Reet’s last night, only for different reasons.
Now I’ll preface this by stating that the uniform for most of the workers in Splash, especially the bartenders, is underwear, and not only are they working in their skimpy skivvies, but each of them could be a runway model. We went downstairs to use the restroom and get a drink when we first arrived, and as soon as we got down there, Rita’s eyes began to bulge big time, lol. It was cute because I’m just so used to seeing that that I never really even pay any attention to them, but for someone who’s never been…I could understand.
We soon went upstairs and the go-go dancers were doing their things on their little stages, providing eye candy for the packed house and Rita. We danced to some really good music and Rita was as giddy as one could be. She kept joking that she was one of only a couple of women amongst about 200 men and not one of them was ever gonna hit on her. Of course Reet, hehe, it’s the world of PLU’s.
Anyway, we had a great time dancing and getting sweaty (it’s a real curse…I’ve actually taken to bringing two shirts nowadays so I can change into a dry one after the first one gets wet…ewww!). My two Chinese admirers were there and Rita got to witness what I had said way back when I first met them. It was kind of cute, though, in a way. The little one waved to me first from across the floor, but when he saw Rita he kept his distance. A little while later, she got a phone call and had to run outside to take it and he was on me in literally three seconds.
Rita came back shortly, but I assured him that he could stay and dance with us, which he did. The looks and the laughter on her face were making me laugh as the little guy bumped and grinded on me. It was all in good fun, though! Another bout of laughter came when my friend Ivan walked right by us and I yelled out “There’s Ivan,” to Rita. She quickly turned around and poked another person on the shoulder. Ivan had already walked away into the crowd and I curiously never saw him again.
Anyway, a little after 12, Rita had to leave and I stayed and kept on dancing. The music was really great for a Saturday night, but as always, I found myself heading to Ritz around 1:30. I’m starting to think I’m done with that place. The guys there are really cute and all, but it gets way too crowded, so much so that it’s hard to make your way around or even dance. All in all, though, it was a great Saturday night. I wish they all could be like that!
Well that’s all for now. There’s lots to be done today so I’ve gotta get on with it. Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday!
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