Part 5: Mr. down unda comes to "land of the sky"
My trip to Australia in December was the verification that this fairy tale was, indeed, really happening. When I left there, the flight home was 3 million years and 2 months long. The good part, tho, was knowing I would see G again in less than a month, this time on my turf. Yes, G had been spending his off-season in the US for several years and was scheduled to arrive in the Florida Keys in early January and leave in mid February. What incredible luck that this man from 12,000 miles away happened to have good friends in not only the Keys, but Fort Lauderdale (my old stomping grounds), as well. Seriously small world, I would say.
Shortly after his arrival in the Keys, G and his friends, H & J flew to Dallas for a trade show in which they were exhibitors. We had already planned that I would join them in Dallas for the weekend, so I boarded a plane one day in early January and flew to the big D to continue this surreal adventure with the man who had seemingly fallen from the sky into my life.
The reunion was simply wonderful. G & I were both so happy to be in each other's company and life just seemed so much brighter again. G's friends, H & J were lovely people, and the four of us had a really good time in Dallas, despite being surrounded at the Safari Club show by multitudes of "former animals" (ie: stuffed dead animals). J, in particular, is a passionate animal lover, so this was quite a challenge to her sensibilities. She and I had some good laughs, tho, which helped to ease some of the shock and horror of all this death on display. Oh, and we met Larry Csonka, who is a friend of H & J - what a nice (and large!) guy.
some of the former animals in action | Larry Csonka & his Super Bowl ring
After Dallas, G went back to the Keys, where I joined him a week later. Every day with him was just fun and wonderful and cartoon birds twittered around my head and it was magical. And this was just from basically hanging around H & J's house & immediate area. The more time I spent with G, the more I liked him... and I already liked him a lot.
G playing on feral machinery in the Keys | J and her dog, Axel | G posing as a "bouy for sale"
A few days later, G & I went to Key West for a night. I hadn't been to KW in over 10 years and was just blown away at how much it had "developed" in that time. G & I checked into our hotel (funky "guest house", actually) and went for a walkabout around Key West. Of course we were both armed with our trusty cameras, as Key West is photo heaven in many ways,,, free range chickens, decorated dogs, a plethora of fascinating people, creative transportation, you name it.
just some random Key West shots on a Friday
During our walk we ended up at the pier where the Dry Tortugas ferry comes in. We noticed a small group of older Cuban people looking very excited and anxious as the ferry approached. Suddenly one woman began screaming with obvious delight as she jumped about and yelled "Familia! Familia!" Her family from Cuba was on that approaching ferry. She turned and grabbed G into a huge celebratory hug, to which he eagerly reciprocated while fighting back tears. This was an incredibly spontaneous emotional event that I'm sure neither G or I will ever forget. I sometimes wonder what became of that woman and her family.
G hugs the Cuban woman who has spotted her family on the ferry | the Dry Tortugas ferry with Cuban refugees
The next day we jumped in my little car and drove north to Key Biscayne to stay with my bro, S and his family. G was not only an excellent road trip companion, but was also a big hit with my peeps (whew!!) as I knew he would be, and the love-fest was mutual. My sis-in-law, D took G & I on a little excursion of the area, starting with the famous Jimbo's on Virginia Key and ending at her favorite beach-glass-hunting beach. We also spent an afternoon at Fairchild Tropical Gardens for the Lichtenstein sculpture exhibit AND International Chocolate Festival" - score! My bro hosted a little party at the beach club one evening - again, everyone loved G. This was such a treat for me - I mean having a boyfriend that my family and friends actually liked without reservation... what can I say.
G & me in the car
the famous Jimbo's Bocci Ball court on Virginia Key | Lichtenstein sculpture exhibit at Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami
After a little over a week in Florida, it was time to head north to Asheville for a few days. On the way we stopped in Gainesville to see my boy, T. Again, I was so thrilled to find that T actually liked G, and vice versa. Wow! I shouldn't have been surprised, tho - G is pretty wonderful after all, and so is T. Of course they would get along.
Our next adventure after a few days respite in Asheville was a long weekend in Las Vegas. G had never been there and thought he should see it. I agreed, as I think Vegas typifies America in so many ways... a big, 24-hour-glitzy-sparkly-gluttonous-hustle-fest. And now that they have the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower there, why go anywhere else? So we went. The first night was fun, just walking around and taking in all the Vegasy neon and flashy things, as well as an interesting & quite cool interpretive dance show we found at Planet Hollywood's little theater. The next day was Super Bowl Sunday - all was fine until I brought back pizza by the slice from the hotel's not-so-mini mini mall. One of G's slices was apparently teeming with evil bacteria and god knows what else, because the poor man became deathly ill from food poisoning only a few hours later, during the Vegas version of Spamalot at the Wynn, actually. It was so awful for him, tho he tried so hard to just buck up and be tough and enjoy Vegas anyway. Well, unfortunately the bacteria eventually won and G was flat on his back for 2 days & nights, miserable beyond belief. Poor baby.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas! 
Don't eat the pizza!
Don't eat the pizza!
Planet Hollywood at night | hot babes delivery truck?
Fortunately G survived Vegas and we returned to Asheville for a couple more weeks. This was a couple of the best weeks of my life, as this man I had become so crazy about from afar was actually here... in my house... just living life with me. After so many years of being on my own for the most part, I was somewhat apprehensive at first about having someone in my space 24/7 like that. Amazingly it was better than wonderful, and it felt really good. We did a few touristy things, got together with friends, worked, played and just did "life stuff". He was just so easy to be around and I was beginning to get awfully comfortable with that. The reality loomed, however, that he would be returning to Australia in just another couple weeks - a thought I tried desperately to put out of my head for the time being, as it was a huge buzz-kill.
G at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville | G at the Cherokee Heritage Museum in Cherokee, NC
As is always the case, those blissful couple weeks flew by and suddenly it was time to return to Miami, where G was to depart for his home down unda. All the way to FL in the car, I kept thinking, "maybe the car will break down and we won't be able to get to the airport in Miami in time... or maybe a meteorite will hit the planet somewhere and ground all flights everywhere... or maybe aliens will abduct us and we'll live happily ever after in a spaceship somewhere..." Anything would be better than seeing G leave.
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale a few days before G's flight, as it was the weekend of the Miami Boat Show which we were both keen on attending. We spent some great quality time with some of G's friends and some of my friends in Ft. Lauderdale, as well as S & D at the boat show, but admittedly my mind was on that ticking clock toward the impending big, awful goodbye on Sunday. I found myself wanting to milk every second out of that long weekend that seemed so short.
S & G & D at Miami Boat Show | G inspects the mast | S & G onboard a catamaran
Sunday arrived. Damn it. I can safely say that saying goodbye to G was the most difficult parting I've ever experienced in my whole life. The only way it could have been more dramatic is if I were running alongside a train, reaching out with my handkerchief to touch G's outstretched hand as he chugged off to war or something... it was just plain awful beyond belief.
Yes, my world had changed forever - there was no going back to my "BG" (before G) existence anymore. This had already become a profoundly amazing chapter in my life, regardless of the outcome.
But wait! There's good news... I'm going back down unda at the end of May! This time I will stay for 5 weeks and couldn't be more thrilled! Life with G in it is SO much nicer than life without him.
The Grateful Dead line keeps playing through my head... "What a long, strange trip it's been..."
This adventure continues, to be sure. Stay tuned! I plan to blog from down unda this time - hopefully a bit more frequently from now on.
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