Extraordinary moments of an ordinary man

Saigon flower - wrong place, wrong time, right girl

2008-09-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the ceiling aimlessly. Being away from home has taken it's toll on me. I let out a sigh, hoping it would release the weight. I look at my bottle, its empty. I hear the laughter again, followed by the sweet voices speaking rapidly in short syllables. I turned my head towards the booth directly across us. Wine was flowing freely. A wealthy businessman type surrounded by several petite women, nodding and laughing at everything seems to be the center of attraction. The women were all dressed in pretty evening attire.

That's the kinda of life I want. My friend keeps saying. What about you? he asks. I don't know what to say, probably not. I just smile. Finally a lady dressed in a dark blue dress came to our table and puts her arm across my friend. She is his regular. She kissed him on the cheeks and sat next to him. I was introduced and exchanged pleasantries. My friend quickly got into a conversation, speaking rapidly. He turned towards me and said, she says her cousin is here and is new to the scene, and recommends her. I just shrugged my shoulder. Lilly says its better to go with her, or else the old timers may rip you off. It was an oriental themed restaurant which has geisha type girls who wine and dine with the guests. Simply put their job is to squeeze every penny out of the patrons. They seem to always order the most expensive items and expect a handsome tip as well. The more money you throw the better it gets. Most patrons were regular and had preferred geisha's. I finally said yes, not knowing what to expect.

Lilly left to fetch her cousin. A few minutes later she was there. A petite woman in her late twenties wearing a black evening dress. She introduced her self and sat next to me. My friend and Lilly were already in a passionate embrace. I smiled with her and asked what she would like to drink. She thanked me and said it's fine for the time being. I was surprised, as I was told otherwise. She had a beautiful face with soft dreamy eyes. A tiny necklace draping nicely around her neck highlighted her simplicity. She noticed my empty bottle and asked if I need another Heineken. I said yes and she quickly called a waiter. Slowly we got into a conversation.

She was from a middle class family in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). She started her life as a kindergarten teacher in a school that caters to the expat community. Once her dad passed away she was the sole bread winner for her family. Due to her fluency in english she managed to find a second job as geisha in an upscale restaurant that caters to the expats. In the morning she was teaching kids how to read and write, and at night she was pouring wine for their fathers. That is where she got the break to move to the west. However she couldn't leave her ailing mother so passed on the opportunity to her cousin. A year later she followed suit. Before I got here my friend advised me. Every girl has a sad story. They expect you to feel sorry and treat them nice. All of them are after your money, so be careful. But she seems sincere. I wanted to believe her. She was working her magic on me already?

As the evening progressed we started getting to know each other. She was very intelligent and had the ability to carry on a meaningful conversation about any aspect of life. Her views about religion and philosophy was enlightening. I asked her again if she needed a drink. She politely refused and instead got back into the conversation. Her outlook about life was amazing. My evening started to become interesting. I came here with the idea of meeting some random girl, and then taking her to bed. But now those feelings have receded to a remote corner inside my mind, and instead was engaged in a stimulating conversation. We argued about many aspects, but always came to some resolution, respecting each others point of view. I slowly held her hand. She smiled and acknowledged.

My friend suggested it was time for dinner. We all agreed. I asked her for suggestions. She recommended a particular noodle soup. Again I was surprised as it was very moderately priced. She mentioned that it was enough for two, and wondered if I am willing to share it with her.I was again surprised. I was told that the girls will milk you dry. We shared the noodle soup which was very refreshing and filling.
We continued our conversation during and after dinner, going into many interesting topics. Finally it was time to leave. A quick conversation happened between my friend, Lilly and her in short syllables. The girls went off to finalize the bill and my friend leaned over the tabled and spelt out the result of the conversation. We are going to their apartment and I agreed to pay x for the night. Are you OK with that?. I said OK. It was a rude reminder that all this pleasantness, the intimate conversations, the romantic dinner was nothing but part and parcel of a business deal. I knew what I was getting into, but the last few hours has made me feel otherwise. A waiter came by and we paid the bills. We were to meet at the parking lot.

We all got in to my friends car. She sat with me at the back and held my hand. I smiled politely, but inside me I felt betrayed. I tried to make up my mind, saying that it was not her fault. She is doing her job and I got into it knowingly. In this business there are no feelings involved. Every second spent with her has a price. That is her way of living. She wanted to know what I was thinking. Instead of replying I tried unsuccessfully to start the conversation from where we stopped before we left the restaurant. She slowly put her hands around my face and gently asked me what was bothering me. I felt a genuineness in that gesture. I said I wasn't feeling well. She started rubbing my neck gently.

We arrived at their two bedroom apartment. It was sparsely decorated and had a sweet aroma. She took my hand and led to her bedroom. It was simple and clean. She lit some candles and switched off the lights. She then left the room and came back with some towels and a steaming tea pot. We poured some tea and talked a bit more. She sensed my nervousness. You will be all right, she assured me, and added "it's normal to feel nervous the first time". Damn.. my friend has told her this was my first time.

She started a warm bath and added some bath salts. She then came to me and took my hands, gesturing me to stand up. I obeyed like a child. I kept looking at her eyes. She slowly hugged me and kept stroking my hair. Why was I not getting a hard on? Instead I was entangled in a heap of emotions. I tried reminding myself that the whole purpose of the evening was about getting laid. But the events up to now has confused me. Is she setting me up? part of me thinks so. But the other part says otherwise.

We held each other for what seemed like an eternity. She finally pulled back after my heartbeat and breathing was normal. I realized that, she hugged me to calm me down. She slowly unbuttoned my shirt. My heartbeat went up again, and was starting to get aroused now. I griped her tightly. She hugged me again and whispered to slow down and trust her. I obeyed again. She slowly started kissing my neck .....

(to be continued.....)

Boy Love

2008-08-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am not gay,nor consider myself bisexual. But the following incident stands out. I was involved with some fun stuff with the boys around my age, but it was more an adventure than anything else. In this particular incident I have to confess that I did have feelings for this person.

It was after a hard days work, full of excitement and fun. After dinner we had our night cap and it was time to get inside the tent before the lights out. If caught hanging around after lights out the next day will not be very pleasant as washing the bathrooms and scrubbing dishes was a mandatory part of the punishment.

I lie down using my backpack as a pillow. The rough ground makes me long for my bed at home. It's been two days, but three more days to go before I get back to the comfort of my room. I was responsible for the 6 guys in my tent. He was 2 years my junior. He was lying down next to me as always. He always stuck next to me. It took a while for everybody to fall asleep. I was no where close to falling asleep. I went through the days event,s one by one in my head. The hard days work have pumped up my testosterone levels. I suddenly remembered how he hung on to me when we were bathing in the river. Neither of us were good swimmers, but he constantly held onto my shoulder every time we trudged into the deep water.

I turned myself and saw him sleeping. The moonlight shone on his face. It was calm and serene. I touched his face, slowly dragging my fingers onto his lips. There was a feminine touch to his face. Soft and sensual. I looked around the tent and saw that everybody was sleeping. I slowly kissed his lips, immediately withdrawing. I was afraid of what I had done. I was getting scared that I am being aroused by a boy, worrying every minute as I felt the rush of blood and the hardness between my legs. I took the plunge and kissed again. He opened his eyes, but didn't resist. I slid my arm around him and hugged him. He obliged, cuddling to me like a child. I kissed his lips again. He closed his eyes and held me tight. I slowly slid my hand inside his pants. I felt his erection. I thought I was going crazy. I never had thoughts like this before. I was worried others might see. So I whispered to him that we should sneak out of the tent and go to other end of the grounds where there is nobody. He said no, clearly scared of the dark and any punishment that would be meted out if we get caught.I reassured him. I was aware of the sin I am about to commit, but I have already succumbed to the flesh.

We slowly sneaked out, crouching like tigers. We could hear the senior folks, still up, talking and playing cards. We slowly made our way around the tress where the campsite was built. We silently held each others hands and crawled in the darkness towards the other end, being careful not to trudge in the open where we might be seen in the moonlight. When we reached the other corner, we stood there for 5 minutes, like rabbits, listening to the deafening silence. There was a certain sense of excitement written on both our faces. The feeling of breaking a taboo is always exciting, all though the fear of getting caught is trying to make some sense in you.

I looked at him. Kissed his face gently and removed his shirt. I toyed with his nipple until his eyes were half closed. The large trees around cast giant shadows around us, while streaks of moonlight fell on both of us. I slowly pulled down his pants. Moonlight shone over his naked body. Its one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. I went south on him. He squirmed and let out a soft gasp. He pulled my pants down and slowly reached for me. I felt him squeezing me hard. I straddled him facing his legs and started stroking him. I felt him taking me in, like a vacuum cleaner. His body became rigid, his sucking more forceful, breathing deeply. With a loud gasp he released, simultaneously biting me. It hurt a lot. His body became soft. I turned around and lowered myself on him, while whispering him to tighten his legs around my thing. I started going up and down rhythmically as I had seen in the only porno I had watched until then, at a friends house when the parents were gone. I kept thumping like a possessed demon, and the excitement kept building up until I released with a sudden jerk in my body. I was exhausted. He was under me with eyes wide open. After minute or so he slowly told me that he wasn't happy that I came all over him. I apologized and offered my shirt for him to wipe with. Once cleaned up, we slowly crept our way back to the tents. We fell a sleep almost as soon as we laid down. When I woke up in the morning, he was still sleeping turning towards me with one hand on my shoulder. We went about our days work as if nothing happened....

Untamed Desires

2008-08-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

The sky was pregnant with dark clouds and whatever light we had was fading soon. Trees were swaying hard in the strong steady breeze casting shadows on the pavement. Streaks of lightning appeared in the sky at regular intervals. Birds were hurrying up trying to seek shelter, all ominous signs of a thunder storm that was imminent.

By the time I got into the route 138 bus to Maharagama it was already drizzling. The bus was packed like sardines. Even though it was quite dark, there were no lights turned on inside the bus. I paid the fare and slowly made my way towards the back of the bus. I managed to lean on to a seat while resting myself comfortably on to a pole next to the seat. There was people all around me. Some chattering about the days work or politics with a colleague, students talking loudly among themselves, parents with children talking about the days events, lovers whispering to each other and a few others trying to catch a snooze. Everybody was in their own world.

By now it was raining hard. The bus stopped at Nugegoda and a whole load of people got in. The conductor was quick in collecting the fare and barking at them to keep going back. Among the steady stream of people I saw her. She was no more than fourteen. Her face was like a flower complete with beautiful eyes. Her dark hair neatly platted complimented her cute face. I couldn't take my eyes off her face. It was mesmerising. At one point our eyes met for a moment.

Due to the steady stream of people, she eventually got pushed towards me. She smiled sweetly. I froze. She was carrying a backpack and was trying very hard to stand still among the crowd, without being pushed towards me. It was too much for her. She finally gave up fighting the crowd and leaned on me. She held on to the side of my shirt with one hand while holding the pole I was leaning on with the other. She looked up, our eyes met, she smiled, while I froze once again. I could feel her breath on my chest through the gap in my shirt.

The bus came to a stop at the lights. The momentum pressed her body onto me. My nose brushed her hair and the top of her ear. I inhaled deeply. I felt I was next to a jasmine tree. She looked up again. I gently pressed my lips on her forehead. I felt her body squirm. She slowly rested her head on my chest and felt her arm go around my waist. She was still holding on to my shirt with her other hand. I looked around, worried that somebody might notice. But everybody was too busy occupied in their own world, trying to stand still while the bus was rocking like a boat and travelling fast.

The people in the foot board started moving in, trying to avoid the rain, pushing more people towards us.I stopped worrying about the people around us. I slipped one had around her waist and gently pressed her towards myself. She looked up. Her face has changed. Moist lips, eyes half closed, almost dreamy. I pressed my lips on her forehead again. This time for what seemed like an eternity. It suddenly got darker. The rain intensified. Lightning bellowing like a monster. I felt her heart beating rapidly, hot breath on my chest, fingers digging deeper in to my side and her arm around my waist tightening. I felt her body squirming with desire. Our breathing became deeper and deeper, hearts pounding, bodies fused together. It was surreal. We seem to have escaped to another dimension through a portal created by our fused bodies. Time froze....

The rain subsided. Her breathing became shallow, her body relaxed. We continued to hold each other.She looked up again. Her face was clam, eyes wide open, full of innocence. She took my hand and gently squeezed it. The bus came to a stop. She smiled at me again and proceeded towards the mass of people trying to get off the bus. I kept looking, but lost her in the crowd. The bus started to move again. I forced myself through the crowd and looked through the back window. She was slowly walking in the opposite direction, but turned back suddenly. Our eyes met again, probably for the last time. We continued to look until we both disappeared into the horizon....

Why didn't I get down with her? I don't know. I don't think she expected it either. Maybe she did .......
(For the record, this happened many moons ago when I was a teenager...)

Second chance

2008-08-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

She got out of the cab. 12 years have gone since I last saw her, and still looked almost the same. She said "hi" and asked politely if she has changed since I last saw her. I said no, but age and the continuous struggle of our daily routines have started to catch up with us. Her sweet smile is no different from 12 years ago, and I tell her so. She seems flattered and gently squeezes my hand. For a moment we were teenagers again. So much has happened since then. So much so that, even the mere fact we have met could turn our lives upside down.

What followed was a memorable two hours between two people who shared so much 12 years ago, yet went on different roads, not knowing whether our paths would ever cross. Yet we meet again. I tried going back in time. Trying to remember how I felt, the connectedness, the chemistry, the feelings. It was the first time I fell in love. It was brief and filled with childish desires of that age, yet so romantic, strong and real that I still can't forget.

Then it was time for her to go back. We decided that things should be left the way it is. Any radical decisions now, would drastically affect a few individuals on both sides. No bold decisions then, no bold decisions now. Perhaps we were never meant to be.

It reminds me so much of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Suchetha recently wrote a beautiful piece. Sometimes you don't get the girl. I think that sometimes you don't get the girl even if both wants it. Life is that complicated and full of twists and turns.