Chapter 1 : The going away party
Chapter 2 : The coincidence
Chapter 3 : The bonsai tree
Chapter 4 : The head set
Chapter 5 : The trip to Hawaii
Chapter 6 : The ticket to Japan
Chapter 7 : The waiting
Chapter 8 : The Boyfriend...for reals
There was 3 months of skyping. And then he arrived. The anticipation was unnerving and I had no idea what to expect. I had a similar experience before, dating someone from afar who arrived only to have me slam the door in his face. So you can understand the apprehension both of us were up against. However, there was something special about him. Something special about us. I took the 2.5 hour train to Osaka to pick him up from the airport. I choked back about a million what ifs and settled on the excitement of a visitor from Portland, home, the mother ship, to come and rescue me from this alien nation. Whatever would come from this visit I would have that. I had about an hour to kill before he would walk into my world so I did what any normal lady in waiting would do, I grabbed a double cheeseburger and fry from McDonald's and a vanilla latte from Starbucks. I ate quietly by myself, then headed for the gate to grab a seat and wait. And wait. And wait. God that caffeine was kicking in. I should have gotten one for him because I didn't know if we would have enough time to get him some before the train returning home would come and HE would be the one that needed the coffee. But oh well...he would drink my coffee if he really needed it because he wasn't particular (like I am) about anything trivial like coffee. Oh, what a treat he was in for.
The light had stopped blinking on the "arrival" board which meant his plane had landed and was done unloading...any second he would walk through those automatic doors. "My boyfriend" would walk through the frosted glass sliding doors to meet me face to face for the first time at any moment. 'Is that my boyfriend? No, some uber rock guy who came to tour in Japan...that's not my boyfriend.....Another white guy pushing a cart full of bags...not my boyfriend....is that my boyfriend? That's not my boyfriend....that's not my boyfriend....oh wait there is 2 sides to this entry?....did I miss him?' I walked over to be in the middle and watched the sliding doors like a tennis match......and then.....there he was. OMG....the first thought was going to clench the next 10 days.......I liked what I saw! That is my boyfriend ;) His smile was plastered and I clapped and jumped up and down a little as we walked towards each other. Thank God that was the beginning. We embraced as if we had actually been in each other's presence for 3 months but everything was new and foreign. His skin, his hair and his smell were all new. Kiss? Not yet. Just let it all sink in. We looked at each other hastily not wanting to give away our shock or excitement too much or to question in our glance when we should kiss. Grab bags, get to escalator. "Hi." Eyes met. The escalator ride was dedicated to grasping the reality of each other's physical presence and making sure that it was an actual possibility to share time and space...for reals.
Of course it felt like everything was happening in fast forward. The escalator moved at rapid pace...we muttered several words of short banter, lost in our own thoughts. We got to the top of the escalator and juggled his luggage pulling it to the side and out of the way so he could bundle up in the unexpected coldness of Japan and to embrace once more. 'This is real...he is real, this is real...."my boyfriend?" yes....ok....ok'. I could feel a potential kiss moment so I moved quickly to grab his bag and get us moving. I was not ready for a kiss. A kiss can move worlds, sign contracts, destroy planets, shit like that....a kiss in fast forward could have catastrophic effects. A pause for space between us, he exchanged money to yen and I flexed my Japanese a little bit by buying our train tickets just a room away....the walk to and from the money exchange was just enough to strut a bit, to flirt, to gauge each other and to declare independence. And yes, I actually thought about all this shit when it was happening. Doesn't everyone?
Before I could think, we were on the Haruka train from Osaka heading to Kyoto to then catch the last train to Shin-asahi, home. Hand in hand. Photos of this event ensued by him of course which was thought brilliant by me. We were going to have a great time.
Chapter 9 : The curtains open
Chapter 10 : The harvested clam
Chapter 11 : The chapstick
Chapter 12 : The Japanese culture
Chapter 13 : The card game
Chapter 14 : The day alone
Chapter 15 : The surprise
Chapter 16 : The old city
Chapter 17 : The Tom Collins
Chapter 18 : The Tuna sandwich
