Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Humour me...If you will


I remember his sandy blond hair. His blue eyes sparkled all the time. He was so sweet, tender, and thoughtful. He was artsy, creative, intelligent and passionate beyond compare. He was an animal rights activist, an enviro-freak, and the most devout vegan I had ever met.

Together, *River and I would sit along the Lake Shore in between classes and have picnic lunches of a baguette with hummus or Veggie Pâté and copious amounts of fruit. His name wasn't really River, but I called him that because he bore a striking resemblance to the late River Phoenix.
Photo of the late River Phoenix from Google Images

All the girls loved him and wanted to hang out with him. He was just so cool and so dreamy! He was quiet and soft spoken. He was full of a million and one interesting things to talk about. He was a thinker, a philosopher, an artist, a poet, and the most beautiful thing on earth.

We'd peruse thrift shops together and find cool vintage clothing. We'd spend hours upon hours rifling through old treasures in second-hand bookshops. He'd write me poetry and sketch my portrait as we sat on the soft, fragrant grass. Everything seemed so alive and there was a certain excitement just knowing we were going to visit the art gallery or check out a new indie band. Life was grand.

He smelled of sandalwood...and sometimes lavender when he had headaches. Everyone knows that lavender has healing powers, right? He was so perfect. I don't know why I never saw it coming. How did I not know that I had fallen for a gay guy?

Truth be told, River wouldn't be the last gay guy I'd fall for. I was in a program in college that was predominantly female. There was a handful of males in my courses. Everyone in the program seemed artsy and profound. When I went on to university, the program I was in also had more female students than male. Many of my friends were gay. I didn't know that my world would be filled with friends of all sexual orientations, beliefs, religions, creeds, and nationalities. Some of my best friends were gay men, because everyone knows a gay guy is a girl's best friend. Likewise, some of my closest friends would be lesbian.

"I can't believe you didn't know I was..." began River, one night when we were leafing through old records and watching "The X-Files" and reruns of "V". I kind of shook my head, not wanting him to go further. All of a sudden, River burst out in laughter. "Actually, I can believe you didn't know. After all, you were madly in love with Freddie Mercury!" Go figure. I didn't even realize Freddie Mercury was interested in men! I thought he was the hottest member of Queen! There was just something about him that was oh, so intriguing! Then we laughed and simultaneously began singing Bohemian Rhapsody while playing the air guitar. We had the best of times.

I don't know what ever happened to River. I moved out of Montreal in my early 20's and we lost touch when I moved from Toronto to Japan and back. I just heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio yesterday and thought of him.

12 comments:

Don Mills Diva said...

What a great story. I had a River in my life too...

Uncivil said...

Thank gawd I never had a River in my life!!!!!!!LOL!!!!
OK...fair is fair
Let's hear about some of Farmer John's ex'es??????

caninecologne said...

Gay men are the BEST friends to have! Seriously, you can shop with them, check out guys together, they'll be brutally honest with you when you try on clothes instead of feigning interest like a husband or boyfriend. i miss my gay "boyfriend" - when he got his own boyfriend, i was stuck without a shopping and people watching partner. That was back in college. Nowadays, i have fun hanging out with my male gay co-workers. plus my husband knows i'm safe with them!

Anonymous said...

What an amazing story, so well written! I think every girl needs to have a River in her life, I know I did. I am still very close with my River, still go shopping together and dancing together and it is so true that gay guys are so honest about what you are wearing and will tell you if you look fat in that dress. I love that !

Anonymous said...

eloquently written. great post. i've been blog stalking for a while and wanted to say that i enjoy reading your blog. posts like these really allow your readers to get an inside look at who you are and try to understand your depth. keep writing and we'll keep reading!

Unknown said...

Don Mills Diva:
Is your River still in your life? I think many girls have had a River in their lives at one point or another. You've gotta love a River!

Uncivil:
LOL! Oh, c'mon :) You'd sooooo love to have a River in your life! :) *sigh* I sometimes wonder what River has been up to and what he's doing now. I can't believe we lost touch over 12 years ago now!

Unknown said...

Canine:
I know! :) That's what I loved about River! Pure and brutal honesty! You've gotta love someone who will be honest and tell you if that pair of jeans looks hideous or your lipstick shade isn't right for your skin pigmentation! Oh, and someone who will tell you that you've got a horrible green speck of parsley stuck between your teeth at a restaurant...you've gotta love someone like that! I love that! I'd much rather that than having someone not tell me I have something in my teeth and let me talk and talk whilst others are eye-balling that piece of parsley! LOL!

t:
You're so lucky that your River is still in your life. He's a hoot!

Anonymous:
Thank you for popping by and commenting. Do we know each other somehow or did you randomly come across my little 'ol blog? Do you have a blog that I can check out? :)

Jeanna said...

He was something else. Remember that first scene in the third Raiders? One of the best bits in the whole series.

Anonymous said...

don't have a blog but have been reading yours for a while. found your blog when searching for property on manitoulin island.

Anonymous said...

Chris sorry it's been awhile sine i checked out the blog- the kids are all sick lots of runny noses and absences from school last week. something must be going around because my dh now has whetever the kids had

i really liked this post- great story and he did look like River Pheonix!

Rick Rockhill said...

I was a gay boyfriend to several gal pals...they were special.I taught one how to kiss.

Sreisaat said...

Wow - what a story. Chrissy. It reminds me so much of my gay friends back in uni ... who would ever understand us, girls, of our need to hang a huge poster of *insert name of hot Hollywood actor* in our bedrooms than our gay friends???

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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