He had one of the shortest chapters in terms of “time” in my realm but most certainly one of the deepest imprints on my soul. This man has forever changed my outlook on life for the better.
I recently came across a meme ironically posted by my “medium” that read... “there will be dozens of people that will take your breath away but the one who reminds you to breathe is the one you should keep”. This resonates deeply in my soul on seaux many levels.
It was the end of March 2018. I was dating an old friend at the time, & quickly getting bored with that scenario. Alcohol had certainly played a massive role in my lack of pleasure in this particular relationship and quite frankly resulted in me mentally checking out of the situation. One random afternoon at work I’m squatting outside of work having a cigarette writing in my phone, trying to find the right words to break-up with the man I was seeing.
An SUV pulled up and a man in his early 40’s got out of the car. He looked like he put some effort into how he looked that day although it was obvious he didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend on his wardrobe but he still pulled it off with a button down shirt and jeans with a Boston baseball cap on. He sported a freshly trimmed beard and bright eyes that shimmered in the sun.
“I’m Mariano” he quickly introduced himself to me. He began to sincerely inquire about my day at work & how business was going. I had never met this man before in my life but from the moment he stepped out of that vehicle I felt like he already knew every demon I’d ever battled. For the first time in a long time I felt like I didn’t have the right words to say to this stranger out of sheer awe and he didn’t need a single word from me to understand what my soul was screaming. He had arrived for an interview with my boss for a FOH position. I walked him inside of the pizza shop, introduced him to my manager that he was Mariano and here for an interview.... He nailed that interview & got the job! Mariano certainly had the gift of gab so to speak.
By the end of my shift, I knew the right words to say to the man I was dating to “breakup” with him.
This day was like a permanent street sign on the path of my life journey. Like the days before hurricane Katrina and the days afterwards. Like the days before my wedding and afterwards. A bookmark of sorts.
He started working with me within days of this interview. On day one he briefly explained to me that he was Puerto Rican & he’d come from Boston to be with his family and this was the first job he’d landed. That evening he met me in Jackson Square once I was done drawing henna tattoos on tourists. We went to his sisters' job for drinks in the French Quarter. I wanted to take him home and keep him but I still had not had a chance to break up with the man I was already dating. Nevertheless he came home with me that night. Yes, I was unfaithful as some put it. The next day, I made the responsible decision to end my current relationship because my soul had fallen in love with this transplant from Boston. Yes, I said it. I fell in love with a stranger within just 2 days.
Immediately Mariano began staying at my house every night. We were inseparable. We worked together and played together. Everyday. My soul loved every second of it.
I called him Mi Amore. He called me “my sun, my moon, my stars”.
He was a Scorpio to the T. As a Cancer, he was irresistible to me in every possible way. His knowledge of music was like all of Wikipedia. His passion for life was inspiring. He lived everyday as it was his last. He pushed my buttons on all the right ways, good and bad. His version of dirty talk was “I’m going to do awful things to you tonight” and “where are you going to sleep tonight cause your bed won’t be safe”. A threatening yet endearing flirt is one of my weakness.
Mariano was the only man I’d ever been with that could take me to the point of pleasure that I would literally stop breathing. He would immediately recognize that he’d gotten me to my highest sexual peak and knew what moment to whisper in my ear, "breathe my sun, my moon my stars". He was most certainly a keeper.
There’s seaux much of his story that I deserves to be written but for now,
To be continued....
