and so it began...

one early summer afternoon...

i was waiting for a friend to finish interviewing for a job at a local downtown joint in richmond. i sat at the bar, perusing the paper. and stumbled across the things-to-do section. i scanned for ideas of what could entertain us that night. a strong possibility: the free concert series that's held each friday of the summer.

but my attention soon turned. to a guy sitting a couple of seats down.

waiting for his shift to start. he was perusing the paper too. and started talking to me. he mentioned that his band was playing that evening's show.

the possibility of my going to the concert suddenly became much stronger.

that night, my friend and i indeed headed to the show. and i was sincerely impressed. afterward, we timidly approached the band. specifically, the singer - who was also known as "the guy from the bar." we quickly had conversation and exchanged numbers.

the following week, my friend and i somehow found ourselves joining the band on the road. heading to nagshead for a show. and a free place to stay.

an incredibly random night ensued. we took shots of everything under the sun. sat on the beach. passed a single bottle of mad dog. had a recently released convict join the circle. gave him a 12 pack as a parting gift.

talked all night.
puppy piled on the beach.
and slept as the sun peaked over the horizon.

i essentially didn't see the singer - or anyone else from that night - after that one great summer.

until another summer. six years later.

a sunny sunday afternoon. i took a serendipitous walk uptown. and literally ran into the singer. someone i'd often wondered about. and quietly wished well.

there he was.

we scratched our heads. and briefly explained how we each had managed to wind up in new york. let alone on this particular block. we exchanged contacts. and parted ways.

until another year later.

we had drinks. and laughed about our summer of so many years ago. eventually revealing - confessing - that we'd each been attracted to the other. and never known. laughing hardest that my friend from that summer had done such a remarkable job as a cockblocker.

he and i managed to catch up a few more times. a concert here. a drink there. usually in 4 month intervals. eventually leading us...

to another summer. eight years after our initial meeting.

i was moving. i was in a bind.
he had a car. he was a gem.

i promised him a drink.
he promised to take me up on it.

i haven't yet fulfilled my promise.
neither has he.

even though on a cold winter night. tonight.

i was doing laundry.
he was doing dinner.

i had simply popped in to grab a very delicious guaco-loco taco. and i heard my name.

i turned to see my dear friend. happily reminded of our sporadic and fated friendship.

he remarked, "i never run into anyone in this city. except you."

as we briefly talked, we again promised to have that beer i owe him.

neither of us can count on that.

but i can almost certainly count on seeing him again.

love is a curtain rod

i fell asleep with the tv on last night. it was a late night. but - in all honesty - it doesn't have to be a late night for me to fall asleep with the tv on.

i woke up early this morning to a man preaching about love and faith. i realized that some of his sermon had inadvertently seeped into my dream. this caused minor alarm. sort of like the time i (somehow!) managed to change the channel to fox news in my sleep:
i spent a few minutes determining if i had been the victim of subliminal messaging. i quickly determined that i am still not a homophobe. nor am i anti-choice. phew.

upon waking, i left the channel tuned to the sermon.

perhaps i was intrigued. likely, i was dazed.

half-awake, i listened to him.

minister: "faith is what?!"
congregation: (meakly) "law."
minister: "faith is WHAT?!"
congregation: (somewhat stronger) "law."

and then i managed to croak out, "what the hell?"

creflo dollar - the minister - had begun telling a story about hanging curtains. explaining how disastrous it is when curtains are mounted improperly. he then attempted to make his point. . .
he stated that love is a curtain rod. and faith is the curtain that it holds in place. love must be steady for faith to remain intact. if the love - ahem, curtain rod - falls, the faith falls with it.

this was a real stretch of an analogy. even his congregation seemed to respond with tired, inquisitive looks rather than the resounding "amen" that he was demanding as he proclaimed, "praise jesus!"

during the part of the program known as "the offering," creflo was asking for money to support his and his wife's ministry which is apparently known as Change Your World. CYW to their friends. they are traveling the country and will be in a city near you. that is, if you're near omaha, nebraska or birmingham, alabama.

his wife's name is taffi. with an i.

creflo and taffi dollar.

they pledge to Change Your World.

praise jesus.