Cherokee

Needed a moment to process but ..

Needed a moment to process but I’m good now. Josiah and I got to meet last night! I picked him up bc he’s visiting in town didn’t have his car with him. He is very unique in both physical appearance and mannerisms. He’s a mix of German, Mexican, Irish and West African and it all shows so wonderfully. He’s got gorgeous thick curly hair in the shade of cinnamon I’d say. Brown but could look red at times that coil in tight ringlets. He’s got fair skin that was a bit sunburnt and small but very dreamy greenish blue eyes that look like gems nuzzled in place. He’s got a narrow and pointy nose that ends sharply. A light dust of sprinkled freckles that complimented his glossy skin and thin bright pink lips. He smiles bearing all of his teeth in a way that pushes his cheeks up and almost shuts his eyes completely haha. He’s got broad shoulders but slim arms but thick strong powerful legs. He was such a gentleman, confident, took charge but at the same time very honest and vulnerable.

So to the nitty gritty of it we ended up driving to Hopdaddy which is like a burger/bar joint. Neither of us have been there before so I drove down the street slowly as we looked for parking. I made a u turn and made an attempt at parallel parking which he teased me about haha. So I made a second attempt and glided in like butter being spread over toast. We celebrated my small victory with a laugh and walked down the street to the place. The air was cool and the sky dark but the area was full of shops, bustling people and lustrous lights screaming I see you. We walked side by side in a slow stride until we got to the door which he opened for me (what a gentleman). You immediately get the feel of a cozy but classy tavern. The bar is in the middle, rounded tables near the door and the rest of the room outlined with high booth tables each with their own dangling light fixture. He says “anything you want I got it don’t worry about it.” “Are you sure?” I rebutted. “Yea it’s no problem.” He strikes up a conversation with the cashier as I rummage through the menu but I was intrigued by his ease with conversing. For someone who prides himself in being a lone wolf he sure is charismatic. He orders the tuna ahi burger with the cashiers recommendation and I order a spicy El Diablo burger, sweet potatoes to share, along with a beer. I stick to water as I’m not much an alcohol consumer. We go to our assigned booth table and sitting down we both just look at each other and smile taking a deep breath. So here we are talking about the past, his drive to my city, his mom and then he gets to talking about his city. He pulls out his phone and shows me lots of pictures of the scenery, his upscale clients homes (he’s an hvac- tech refrigerant certified), and his dog. One in particular I’d like to mention is a pic of the end of the rainbow he took on the road. He mentioned that as they neared the end it was like being in a prism with a bunch of other smaller rainbows everywhere you looked. How fascinating!

Our food came and he devoured his burger fairly quickly haha. I tried to take my time and be lady like but I don’t know how that’s possible eating a burger and I was also starving. We rated our food: fries 10/10. Ahi tuna 6/10 el Diablo 7.5/10. After we ate we stayed and talked a bit more. Every so often I would look around the place to examine in greater detail and when I returned to face him he would just be calmly smiling. And you know it wasn’t strange at all. You know when people look at you and it’s like uh… ok??? Wtf are you looking at? Haha. It wasn’t that way, I felt comfortable and just smiled back. We stared at each other a few times like that, looking into each others eyes with rising smirks trying to keep our composure as we wrestled our excitement.

After awhile he went to the restroom and came back and we left the establishment. This is where he really took charge (in my opinion). He didn’t want to end just there so we walked around the shops, checking things out. He guided our travel and we stopped at a gaming place called Gamebox I think. Sooo coool! It’s like a giant wii console where the person is the remote (using an intenai ) and the screen is the entire room (hence box). You can play Squid Games! Haha. He again conversed so easily with the employees and at the end of it all they were like friends parting ways. We didn’t play that night but he said he’d take me there again. He said that a lot actually through the night. I have to take you here and there and this place and that place. Anyway we continued our stroll and ended in this little pocket of open field between two bars with high rise apartments overlooking us. We sat on the steps and talked more about cost of living and what ifs of living in the area. We talked about stereotypes too and laughed about the people we saw confirming that. We walked across the field and I found some designer sunglasses abandoned in the blades of greenery. They’re by CRAP and about $90. I’ve never heard of crap and such a weird name for a store.

We arrived back to the car and still he didn’t want the night to end so I gave him my keys to drive wherever he wanted. This is where we lost the formalities and really just vibed. We listened to music and just cruised around the city. Talking. We talked about some deep things, personal things, more of the past, and future. We laughed and even sang a little bit. He showcased some songs and artists and I did too. He wants us to go see Tyler Childers together in concert coming up. He also says he wants to play HER by Daniel Caesar on his guitar with me singing along to it. Nerve wracking but cool! We end the night by him saying “instead of staying in a hotel you should stay at my place when you come to visit.” :) :) :) :) We hugged only. Anything else I think would have ruined the experience with some kind of expectation which neither are really wanting in our current state. Though… I did bring rubbers just in case. Who knows, maybe I’ll need them in Gunnison.