The alarm went off at 2 am. Yes we planned it that way but still 2 am comes way too early. I got up and made tea. Tom got up pretty much right away. I checked the webpage for American Airlines, and called to make sure my flights were still scheduled. I kept thinking that they might cancel them and I wouldn't be able to get to Los Angeles today. But everything was fine.
They did search the car at the airport. Three men did our car so it went quite quickly. It does seem to me though that it wasn't all that necessary. Even if a car bomb did drive into the parking lot, I don't think it would damage the terminal. The American Airline counter wasn't even open though so there wasn't any point in being told to come 2 hours in advance. We hung around for about 30 min. before they opened up. They checked my ID and asked the usual questions. Tom couldn't come back with me to the gate though because of security so we had to say our goodbyes there. I went through the metal detector and they x-rayed my bag but they didn't even use the plastic explosive sniffer that they have used other times. They didn't examine my bag either. So it went well. But it didn't take any longer than usual, in fact it might have taken less time because it was so early and fewer people were traveling. My plane to Dallas only had about 10 people on a plane that could hold at least 60 and possibly 90. I didn't notice how many rows of seats were in the plane.
My flight was mostly uneventful. I watched the clouds and read. We got into Dallas about 25 min. early and arrived at a satellite terminal. A bus was provided to take us to the main terminal. Then I took the small train from that terminal to the one my connecting flight would be leaving from. I had a two-hour layover so I just sat and read. The next plane was bigger and had many more people on it. Luckily they also served food so I wasn't starving as I expected to be. We arrived on time and I headed for the Baggage Claim area where F. would be meeting me. Being a worrier I had been concerned about somehow missing each other amidst all the people or something. But as I walked down the stairs I saw him through the glass of the doors. He was leaning up against a support. I had to look down at the stairs so that I could focus on what I was doing. I felt shy and vulnerable just from that look across the distance. I looked up as I moved through the revolving door. F. had moved close to it and was smiling and I was so happy to see him that I just walked right into his arms. What a wonderful feeling to be held by him again! And so much for my thought that I had become a little distant. I still find it hard to look into his eyes for long. My emotions well up and I want to merge, to melt. He has the most beautiful eyes and when he smiles they light up with his pleasure. I love to see that look. [9/27/01 -- thinking about the idea that I had become distant I realize that I was attempting to move away from him emotionally because I was beginning to think that perhaps his feelings for me were more about being alone, and needing his mate. Perhaps I was more someone to talk to and connect with while she was not with him and I was afraid that I would discover that his feelings for me were not as strong. It was about my fears and not about what was really going on. It is clear to me in the few days that I have been here that we have a strong connection.] We collected my baggage and went to wait for the shuttle bus. We stood for the ride. I would really have preferred to sit but the nearest seats had suitcases in front of them so it would have been more annoying to deal with it. But F. turned me so that I stood facing him instead of the front of the bus and put his arm around me, and one of my hands on a railing. I felt completely safe despite the swaying and unsteadiness.
He took me to the beach so I could see the ocean and he took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs and waded in. I decided not to as I was quite tired and sometimes my balance is off when I am tired. The waves would not have helped me retain my balance. He picked me up and walked back into the water, threatening to drop me into it but he never did. I find him quite exciting. We went to a Starbuck's and had chai and a chocolate biscotti before we headed to his home.
His partner was there and we got ready to go out to eat. We went to a Thai restaurant and I had Thai iced tea and a kind of noodle dish, Toi pasta. It was quite good. On the way home we drove around a bit and I got to see some of the buildings, like the new Academy Awards building. It isn't complete yet, I believe. But it is quite remarkable. There are two huge Ganesh/elephant statues and some remarkable bas relief in an Egyptian like motif. One was a lizard man.
Each time that I come to CA, I am amazed by the plants. I stare and look and crane my head to see them all. There are huge rubber trees, philodendrons that are both large and actually used as a landscaping plant rather than a houseplant, and there are flowering plants and trees all over. F. has two huge palm trees in his tiny front yard and a fig as well.
R. has been very sweet to me. We have spent some time talking and she has told me stories from her life, some about F. She strikes me as being a very gentle soul with incredibly strong intuition. She said that she feels very comfortable talking with me and sharing with me. I felt very honored. Her support of my relationship with F. is essential to me and has felt very welcoming.
We napped for a while as F. works nights. He got up to go to work and I went and took a shower before getting ready to sleep.
Copyright © 2001 Kyril Oakwind