I never heard of them before , probably would never have if not for Paolo. It wasn't really the program that interest me so much but the name of it.
Having to meet such a person was like a second chance for me. I see them on the street making their friends burst into laughter and just having a good time. Not a care in the world. I secretly craved for such a person in my life when I would have said at that time was ,"Such noisy people on this tube, cant they see we in suits need to go to work and have serious lives , not prancing around making silly jokes...they must be Tourist"
He was my Tourist.
Charming , Humorous , well presented with his suit , white shirt and brand new black leather shoes. He dressed to impressed and took my breath away.
Paolo, made me stand on stand by him at the path in Leicester Square where throngs of people pass there to get to where they need to be , be it to Chinatown, any of the cinemas , restaurants or cafes in Leicester Sq or just people needing to go to a Theatre - it is Theatreland in that part of the West End. While he rolls his Old Holborn tobacco into a small cigaratte and lits it up , inhales and exhales it till it's only like one centimeter or maybe less. At that point in time was the only time I actually look up and to saw the hectiness of the square
When you are standing still , and having to wait for something in a busy place , does make it seem that Life is passing you by very quickly. So could you imagine at those people handing out leaflets feeling the toil when they are not handing out much of it.
Paolo wanted to show me what he did several years back when he was in the Capital, handing out those leaft lets. And so he did, just to demonstrate , he took a couple from a lovely but unsmiling girl and started to give other people while walking with me with a big smile on his face. He was truly a character. It made me feel he grabs his life with both hands, being a Driver in his Life rather than just a mere Passenger. In less than a minute he got off his hands those leaflets faster than the unsmiling girl , that's for sure.
In that one magical evening transformed by Paolo , it made my uncertainties disappear. I was uncertain because it was our first meeting plus I had a hard time on that Friday. Didnt feel I was up for anything and thought of just walking away. Fortunately I decided against it. And it was a begining of a passionate connection for Life.
A passion that need exploring. In which started off with a Pret Manger sandwiches and went in search of a Tapas restaurant in Soho but mission aborted and went to a Thai restaurant in Firth Street instead. Had sticky sweet foodies , vegetable tempuras, a Singa Beer and just Hot H2O for the lady. Left my bottled Elderflower drink on the table for two in that Thai place . Not meant to be.
Double back to the Square where then he rolled his tobacco...
Headed towards Rendezvous a very pleasant dessert place , had my Camomile tea and he had his coffee when we started talking a tad more intimate. Being born in a no-nonsense environment , it does make one feel that there is always a time and place for everything.
And having to talk about my sexuality in a nice little cafe wasnt ideal at all. As there are people seating nearby etc, I felt it was very nerve-racking , that was for sure. And yet Paolo , didnt seem to care it was making me feel uneasy. He kept saying about Tower bridge being a romantic place, never been actually in the evening so would not know and not sure if Ii would have gone anyway. Cause it's quite a long way away from the hustle and bustle , away from the public...at night? For a female meeting a "Stranger" for the first time? Nah , I don't think so.
I try to divert his conversation to familiar territory but the only way was to change it completely by finishing my tea and going somewhere else.
HMV was a place I haven't been into physically for some 12 months or more. Spoilt with internet shopping I never see the need to anyway. But there we were browsing in the store, where I asked casually about his interests. Which was house music and dancing. Making hilarious comments made me missed of having a Man in my life physically. He was so colourful it made me secretly did not want to leave his side but I had to after several busses pass when the clock was nearing half eleven....and he noticed that too. There was a certain level of connection we had and I did not want such an opportunity to just fade.
My unexplored Tourist.
The night was young but I couldn't tear my gaze from him when the bus started to move and search him in crowd to where he was headed and felt a heavy lump in my breast. I must see this amazing Paolo again, this "alchemist" in search of my fountain of life and youth.He made be feel I was living.
As I reached home, I called him asking if he was interested to spend an afternoon in the Park on Sunday. Heard the weather forecast would be good. He was not sure and would get back to me..
I thought none of it and put my head to rest as the next day was full with planned and unplanned activities.
C'est la vie!
No comments:
Post a Comment