Road Diary

Road travels -
so much is gained in transit.

We were reaching for colors.

Even from across the street, L could sense J's willingness to like her handsome companion. The blond Virginian wake boarder lead them to his SUV four-runner, turning on his XM and GPS system, as well as other luxury-typed items J doesn't usually see in vehicles belonging to people his age. Later learning that the blond's name is S, J discovered that the East Coaster had a likable personality, who excitedly and eloquently described his two-week, five-thousand-mile cross-country road trip to completely transplant his life in San Francisco. A strong feat that J admitted openly of being jealous. Even with the exception of S's poor music tastes, J knew that the Virginian was a good person, and responded accordingly.

Little else could be said, except throughout the day, J noticed - or searched - subtle accounts in whether S and L had an interest in one another. It was easy to tell with her. She flirted, and physically responded with a grip on the forearm or a punch on the chest - signs of semi-violent affection. A quirk she had sometimes practiced on J. As S and her looked over S's infant niece's pictures, she sat close behind his back on the arm of his armchair, carefully keeping her face close to his as they peered down the screen. She said snide and rude and playfully snark remarks at S's appearance, actions, and response to topics that arise. They sat thigh-to-thigh on the Metro, leaving J standing upright, gripping the overhead railing as they jostled through the tunnels under the city. S's muscular long limbs contrasted next to her petite body. Later standing in line for ice cream, she brushed her fingertips against S's lower backside, suggestively touching him under the guise of fixing his pockets; they playfully swatted each other bashfully. That might have been too far: after this exchange, J grabbed her and pulled her back sharply up against his chest - but quickly let go. She noticed, but didn't want to misread. J saw L studying S as he curiously asked vendors if they had licenses. Despite his pretty features and handsome physique, S had a clear understanding of goals and business. And he possessed a very clean attitude.

And so, the tension loosened when S departed from their party. He wanted to "head downtown" and casually strode off, leaving her and J alone. Whittled down to company of two, the dual walked around Dolores Park with their beer, dodging exposed bodies, and the messy masses of human celebration tightly squeezed in the tiny city block playing music and dancing provocative acts and showcasing various public insights of LGBT culture. L noticed that the first thing J wanted to point out as soon as S was out of earshot was that he was surprised that she had any "Bro" friends. Annoyed, she commented half-heartedly. As they wound around near the playground, she demanded that they halted because she complained of the heat, and in public, though it was hardly strange in the background of naked human figures, stripped bits of her clothing and settled in the grass. J, on the second or third thought, pulled off his shirt, risking a possible burn from the vivid sunlight of the June afternoon. The woman sitting besides them had a unique universe, and when she directed her attentions to them, it was like being trapped in the transporting beam of a spaceship; the aliens have you in their sight-lines. She talked with great frequency about her fascination with the Asian culture, in regards to L's ethnicity. They were mildly intrigued by her character, and respectfully listened and responded. At one point, she referred to them as a couple, exclaiming how they blended with each other well, being that L was so intelligent and charming. L blushed, and J didn't react with anything but his default smile. The woman eventually left, and after minutes of lying in the cool grass observing the celebrations around them, they got up to catch the Metro.

It was at this point that their conversation began to flow freely. At Dolores, they had fallen into silence for the sake of observation and a habitual awkwardness. In transit, they laughed and joked. Tiredly, she ran up to her flat to change. Because of their past comfort with the issue, she quickly changed in front of him, and when she turned towards the closet, she felt his hands clasp on her breasts. They began passionately kissing and L felt J on her, but she eventually gained control, and they soon left the apartment.

The ride there was extremely conversational. They were able to stay on topics for long periods of time without noticing the passage of time or the lack in thought for what they had to say. They reached Sacramento in seemingly little time, and spent the warm evening eating dinner outdoors at Pyramid Alehouse. By the time they settled themselves to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch, they had relaxed in each other's presence to the point of no longer noticing it. In their seats, she made honest observations about his habits, and curious about the honesty, J made inquiries regarding those observations.

Graciously, the show was fantastic. The lead who played the title role captivated the audience and completely engulfed the character with his talents. L was completely fascinated with the actor. They left in good spirits, and L drove the returning leg home, per agreement. On the road, she attempted to place life into art. As a driver or passenger, the cars driving around them are in streams, and the vehicles are in relation to one another and their matching speeds. If filmed, the patterns of the cars would look more uniform, and one would observe the effects of the road on the cars as opposed to the cars to one another. They smoked, and listened to music spanning from David Bowie to Modest Mouse to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to the Jackson 5 and other Motown artists to old soul music to Tenacious D to Reefer Madness. J would light the pipe and pass it burning, "cherry," to L. She felt like he was breathing into her lungs, and was conscious of the odd symbolism. They became slightly fucked up during the drive: they sang at the top of their lungs, and bantered about nonsense. It was like a pretty fantasy, and even as L parked on her street, they sat for two more songs, though it was late and they had spent hours in the car. They tried to depart, and because it was only "try," she found herself on his lap feeling his bearded cheeks rub hers. In the dark, he made her wet his fingers twice, and he asked for no returns. In the street, she lingered on his breath and they slowly and gradually parted.

They disappeared into the warm fog.