Lei

Fishing Season

First I cut the head off. The large stainless steel mixing bowl is filled with fresh sockey salmon heads, guts and blood. Then I take the small knife and insert it into the belly near the tail end. With a slicing motion I cut along the length of the belly towards me until the whole underside is open right up to the base of the chopped off head. Some organs slide out and I can see what looks like the liver. With my fingers I pull it all out. In another fish hundreds of round red eggs spill out. A female fish which had hoped to lay its eggs in some riverbed instead now lies on my cutting board in my kitchen. I bought six fresh sockey salmon from my brother for ten dollars a piece. Each one was a fair size and caught that morning to be sold by the natives on a reserve near my brothers workplace. He called me earlier that day asking if I wanted to buy some and I said yes.

The days go by quickly and I wish there was more time available. More time to sleep that is. I went on a real date with Kyoko on tuesday. Everything went well. She didn't get drunk this time which is a good sign. I wanted to see what she was like around me without being intoxicated. We had dinner at a nice restaurant before going for a walk and watching the sunset. We even saw a shooting star after the sun had gone down. Summer nights are wonderful. Unfortunately I still don't see her and I as any sort of long term thing. She will be off travelling soon and before long, will be heading back to her home country. It is still fishing season.

The day before I got a really bad headache. This past year its gotten worse and to the point where it makes me feel sick, nauscious and completely drained of energy. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to check myself into a hospital I think.

All week its been catch up as far as sleep is concerned. This is no good and I do not foresee a break anytime soon. There has been a number of invitations to go on some sort of vacation. Exotic locals and far away places, it's all very enticing. One option is to go on some kind of surfing trip somewhere with some buddies. Costa Rica is one or maybe somewhere in the south pacific. Hawaii is also another possibility but the cost may be a bit prohibitive to some of my friends.

I missed the salsa lessons last friday so I'm hoping to get back to it this evening. However I still have to get some work done before I can spend all day saturday at the beach for a volleyball tournament. Then back on sunday for more volleyball skipping the option to spend the weekend in whistler with some other friends.

My team played awful at urban beach last night. We lost every game and I showed up late because of work. Claude seemed very non-vocal and unenthusiastic. Same with Jennifer's bf Cam who is playing with our team for the first time. Only the girls showed any sort of energy except for Kate. She left early in the last game. There's really only two weekends left for this summer and I'm not sure when I will have my last bbq at the beach now.

Double Weekend

I noticed something the other day. I noticed that I was sitting up straighter. No longer the hunched over person with low self confidence, I realize that I have more confidence now. The posture reflects a persons attitude I think. So where will this lead me to then?

It was a double long weekend. Friday evening my friend and I went to the salsa lessons down at the law courts. In our quest to find him a date for his company bbq this friday, I suggested that he try the dancing classes as a way to meet a potential partner. At the beginning of the class, all the guys stood on one side while the women stood facing the men on the other side. The men outnumbered the women. My friend eagerly lined up in the middle probably having already spotted someone he was interested in. I on the other hand was slow and got the short end of the stick so to speak standing at the end with no partner opposite me. But just as the instructor was about to begin, a couple groups of women showed up and stood in front of me. The class proceeded for the next hour and a half as they tried to teach us some basic salsa moves which I am sure to forget in another week or two without practice.

At the end of the class, the free dance session began for the rest of the evening just like any other latin club I suppose. The first song was similar in style and speed to what we were practicing but after that, it picked up. All the experienced dancers took over and trying to dance the basic steps seemed rather daunting at that point. My friend asked a young blonde woman to dance and she accepted. First it was the simple steps, step forward and back, step back and forward, then three sets of three steps as the couple walk around each other with one hand held high and the other low near the waist.
"I want to practice the spins." says the young woman to my friend.
"ummm, I don't know that part well enough."
"I'm tired now. I have to go she replies." She drops him like a bucket full of lead.
This is when Dieter came back over to stand beside me. We watch the dance floor and in a couple of minutes, the woman is dancing with another man. Dieter was really disappointed now.
"Lei, this is useless. We need to practice for a year before we can come back and dance with anyone."
I could tell Dieter was upset. Earlier on I had thought of asking some other woman to dance. An asian woman in a group with her girlfriends but as I approached them, a bunch of other guys swarmed around and picked them all up. I was too slow and lost my confidence. I had spoken to them briefly during the lesson and another malaysian woman whom I recognized. She was in a beautiful red dress with another female friend who was quite attractive but after the lessons had ended, they disappeared. The malaysian woman was a model and actress playing a part in the Stargate 1 sci-fi tv series as well as being a clothing model for some departmeent store ads.

A female friend of mine had also intended on coming to the dance wanting to introduce me to her friend whom she described as being really 'hot'. But after Dieter got shot down for being a beginner, he wanted to leave. I never met up with my friend and her 'hot' friend and we left to meet up with some other friends on Robson street.

On the way there, I heard more dance music by the Art Gallery.
"Dieter, we should check this out since you've never seen it before." On most fridays there is a free dance at the Robson square conference centre. The crowd is more family like without the club type setting. We watched and I could tell that Dieter liked it. In front of us were two women dancing with each other and without any partners. During a brief pause between songs, he went and asked some other woman to dance instead of the two in front of us. What he got was a slovakian woman who couldn't understand a word of english except to her name and 'yes'. The idea was that Dieter would ignore the woman that he really wanted and just dance with this other woman. So they danced and at the same time, the friend of the woman which Dieter was interested just suddenly grabbed me and started dancing. We talked and I ended up trying to show her the salsa moves which I had just learned an hour or so earlier. After the song, Dieter came back and introduced me to the slovakian woman before leaving. Dieter then finally got to talk to the woman he was interested in. In appearance, she looked like the former model and actress, Mila Johovic. Young and beautiful but at the same time, a but tough looking. After speaking with the two for a bit, Dieter joked that he was scared of her because of her looks, being a bit muscular without the bulk. The two women were from Ladner and Delta with one working at the YMCA. Carrying a bag of sandwiches and other food items, they were now on their way to feed some homeless people in the downtown area. They could not find any so I suggested what parts of downtown to go before we separated suggesting that we meet up next week for salsa lessons. I'm not sure if we will go this week although I'd be curious to see if some of the other people return for more lessons.

Afterwards, my friend who was supposed to meet me at the salsa lessons showed up late for whatever reason with her "hot friend". They too had seen the woman in the red dress and like other women, when they were in the washroom at the same time, they began talking, complimenting each other on their outfits and appearance. Some of the women who go to these things get dressed up quite well as opposed to what you'd see at a club. My female friend sometimes doesn't like to go to these salsa events because she thinks some guys just want to take advantage of the situation.

On saturday I worked. During the afternoon the woman who I was supposed to meet at the salsa lessons called.
"Hey Lei, how's it goin?"
"Good, how was salsa for you and your friend?"
"Oh we got there late but didn't stay long. I'm sorry your friend didn't have a good time."
"Yeah well he got shot down and took it kind of hard. Now he may not try it again but who knows, maybe we'll show up next week. I'd be interested in seeing who returns"
"Who was there?" Jen asks over the phone.
"Well there was a group of asian women who looked nice. And there was this one malaysian woman who I know is an actress/model..."
"was she wearing a fabulous red dress?"
"yes. she was there with a friend. I overheard her talking during the lessons."
"Did you get to dance with her?"
"Nope. it wasn't in the cards I suppose. Everytime they kept shuffling the people around, she ended up skipping my opposite side. I'm just surprised to see her there. I just figured that since she's an actress type person she'd already have a boyfriend."
"I spoke with her in the short time I was there. We met in the women washroom. She complimented me on my dress. She looked so beautiful in hers."
"Wow. Yeah women will do that. Never see guy strangers chat like that in the washrooms of clubs and such."
"So why didn't you and your friend stay later?" I ask her.
"Oh by the time we got there, my friend was tired and sometimes I don't like the guys that try to dance with you."
"Oh thats too bad. Yeah with that style of dancing, the possibility is there."
"What are you two up to tonight?"
"Dieter wants to go to a disco as he calls it. Thats what they say in germany."
"We've got tickets to a salsa cruise. If you're interested, go online and buy your tickets."
"I don't know if Dieter will want to do that. The tickets are fairly pricey for him and after being shot down last night, I don't know if he'll want to try meeting women dancing to salsa the very next day. Maybe another year."
"Well if you change your mind, give us a call. I'll be there with my friend. You should meet her Lei. You might like her. I was thinking about going down to Seattle tomorrow night too if you're interested. I have to find a room tonight to stay over. Are you interested?"
"Sorry, I can't make it because of beach volleyball. I'm one of the co-organizers/founders so I guess I have to be there."
"Ok. Maybe if we don't go to seattle, we'll drop by the beach. Or maybe now? Are you busy? Wanna come to the mall with me to buy some hair products?"
"Sorry Jen. I also can't come to the mall with you right now. I have to get some work done at the nursing home before I go out and play tonight."
I think Jen is trying really hard to spend some time with me even though I am not really interested in her.

Dieter played beach volleyball all afternoon with his other team. This day, one of the other guys brought a woman to the beach who appeared to be left alone for most of the time reading a book. Dieter befriends her.
"Why aren't you playing like everyone else?"
"I can't. I'm too old for it."
"How old are you may I ask?"
"twenty nine." Dieter gasps. He is also twenty nine.
"What are you talking about. I'm the same age."
"I haven't played since I was in high school."
"Oh don't worry. Come on... I will show you how again."
They began by just bumping the ball around to each other and the woman soon started to like it.

After work, I drove to the downtown area to meet up with Dieter. We had planned on getting some food before going to another club but when I get there Dieter has other plans.
He begins to say with his usual german accent.
"Lei, we are going to the fireworks. I have a date with Michiru. We will join her and her friends for the show. Maybe you will date with one of her other friends."
"That sounds good. A double date maybe?!?!?" This weekend seems to be full of double dating opportunities. First at the salsa had things gone better, then Jen and her friend and now Dieters date and her friend as it turns out.
We walk down to the corner of Denman and Pacific a half hour before the fireworks show starts. Somehow through the thick crowd, Michiru finds Dieter and we exchange greetings before heading towards the beach.
"Where abouts on the beach are your friends?" I ask her. Me being the only local person I assume the roll of leader.
"They're down near the water."
This isn't good being the final evening of the firworks competition the crowds are supposed to be the highest and we're right where the crowd is the thickest. Michiru leads us into the closest entrance to the beach and immediately we have to stop and wait going nowhere. It's already half dark with the light fading fast.
"Do you remember exactly where abouts from here they are? Are they closer to the trees to our right?"
"They are near the water and by the path towards the right." she answers.
"This is no good you two. Follow me."
I lead us out of the short lineup and onto the main street where its less crowded before diving back into another clogged up path with everyone else. We make are way to the path which runs parallel to the water but by now, its virtually impossible to walk in the general area where everyone sits. We abandon trying to find her friends and tell them by phone before planting ourselves on the path itself. A large group of people sitting on the grass behind the path begin chanting at other people standing on the path "sit - down sit down sit down sit down..."

The moon is more full tonight and rather bright. Directly above me I can see the stars. The big dipper is in plain view and the only one I can recognize. I say this out loud and realize that I'm the only one really keeping the conversation going in our group of three. Mostly Michiru and myself. Dieter just sits there. At one point when Michiru isn't looking at me, I start giving hand signals to Dieter moving my fingers in an open and close motion in front of my mouth, then pointing to Dieter then to Michiru. Dieter just stares at me with a blank look. I wanted Dieter to talk to Michiru more instead of me feeling like I was providing all the entertainment for the evening. Or maybe this is what the 'wingman' is supposed to do to help out his friend on a date. So I decided to clam up. The fireworks started and things were good as everyone was occupied by the lights. When it ended, we started on our way. Michiru called her friends to try to get everyone to meet each other. Dieter suggested the same place as we had met which wasn't a good idea I thought. Slowly we made our way towards Davie and Denman where the crowd was not moving at all. Everyone just got stuck there and we are only twenty to thirty feet from the middle of the intersection. We could see what was going on but could here the police motorcycle roaring around. A paddie wagon was parked nearby with its lights flashing. Two officers stood on top while others were on the ground. I could barely see the top of their helmets when the paddie wagon shook as the back door was slammed shut. We moved closer by a few steps and could see the padlock on the outside of the doorhandle jump out from the shock within. Some angry people held captive inside.

I decided to avoid Davie and chose to walk up an alley parallel to Davie street following the paddy wagon and the accompanying motorcade. We were going to meet Michiru's friend at her apartment just a couple of blocks in front of us. At bute, the police have blocked off the alley and parked the wagon about a hundred feet in. A number of officers are standing along with the motorcade. It looks like this is where the people will be interrogated or something.

We continued onward until we reached Michiru's friends apartment. A number of them had already left for home because they were all homestay students living in coquitlam or new westminster not owning a vehicle. Only one of Michiru's friend was coming out tonight. when she appeared, we were introduced.
"Kyoko, meet Dieter and Lei."
"Hi, nice to meet you" I said as we all shook hands. "Which club do we want to go to? All the ones on granville street will probably have huge line ups."
"Lets go to Odyssey." suggests Michiru. "One thing though, its a gay bar."
Dieter and I look at each other. I just laugh.
"Well Dieter, since you're also a visitor to Canada, this will be a good experience for you." Not that I have ever been to one either I thought to myself. "Plus, it also happens to be gay pride week in vancouver."
"My friends and I like going to the gay bar because we won't get hit on so much." Kyoko says to me. "On one weeknight the other gay bar celebrities has a five dollar cheap cover charge night so we go there."
As we walk down Davie street, we pass by some other gay bars and outside each one is a long line of men.
"Why don't we just keep walking down Davie street and see which one has the shortest line up. If they're all long, then we'll check out whats available on granville street at all the other regular places" I toss out.
We walk down and at Odysseys, the line up is short.
"I feel sorry for you guys. I hope you two are ok with this." Michiru says. I look at Dieter before responding.
"Do I look nervous? You know what Dieter? For once maybe its us guys who will be worried about being picked up or hit on instead of the women."
A while back I wrote that I had clammed up. Well by now I had failed. Standing in line waiting and during the walk from Kyoko's place to Odyssey, I chatted with Kyoko and couldn't help but keep talking but now I didn't feel guilty about being the one who keeps the conversation going in our group of four. I don't know how much was implied to Kyoko about this evening regarding it being a date or not. Or maybe nothing was mentioned at all as it really wasn't. The idea was just thrown out to play with in our earlier discussion between Dieter and myself about this evening.

When we got in, we got to see the place for the first time. It was packed. The music was great. Love the electronic beats. There was only a few groups of non-gay looking people. Those mainly being a bachlorette group or two and the odd couple here and there. Maybe two in total besides our group of four. Despite the sea of half naked guys dancing everywhere, it didn't bother me. They were just other people. I bought the first round of drinks for us and we checked the place out from the side of the dance floor. On a platform in front of us, a man got up and started doing a strip show. This happened about once every hour. Kyoko just giggled at watched as we partnered up away from Dieter and his date Michiru. The dance floor was crowded. Guys doing the three man sandwich, diva's dancing on various stages. I gesture like I'm dancing with a group of gay guys to my left and then to a group on my right. Kyoko laughs.

A guy in a blue t-shirt began watching us for awhile before finally tyring to talk with us. He points at Kyoko with a smile on his face, then he points at me and then to both of us together. Is he with you? Are you two together is what he was trying to say. She nods, I nod, he leaves the dance floor. A little while later he comes back to the dance floor and does the same thing and we respond similarly. We continued to dance and drank at the same time. By about three in the morning, Kyoko had only drank two bottles of Smirnoff. First green apple flavour then raspberry slowly nursing the two drinks for almost two and a half hours. We went to the washroom at the same time because she didn't want to be alone. At the corridor, I looked for the signs on the two doors, men and women. However this is a gay bar. It doesn't matter... One washroom only has closed stalls.
"Kyoko. You go in there" as I point to the room. Guys are lined up in both washrooms however. I go to the other one. Once inside, I see only one closed stall and two urinals along the wall. Beneath the door of the one stall I see two sets of feet. One is flat on the floor. The other is facing the first set but the legs are bent and the heels are raised. Use your imagination here...

I come out and Kyoko isn't there. I wait and wander over against a wall where there's a long line up of guys. In the middle along the wall are some windows and a door to an outdoor patio where people are lounging and smoking. It's a small patio hence the lineup to get into it. I go back to the entrance of the washroom and kyoko comes out. She come up to me slowly before almost falling over. I catch her.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm okay she says."
I hold her up briefly before she starts falling towards me. I catch her again.
"Lets go back to the couch and sit down."
We make our way there and Dieter is sitting with Michiru on the couch opposite us. Two gay guys are sitting beside us now too. Kyoko seems ok now as we get her some water. I sit there and hold her as she turns and rests on me now.
She wasn't sick but the two bottles was enough.
"I'm surprised you're this drunk especially after you've only been drinking the two bottles so slowly."
"It's alright. I just don't drink that often." She lied there against me before she turned and started kissing me. Everyone around us disappeared. Dieter and Michiru went off to the dance floor and the two gay guys left. Spending the 'quality time' with Kyoko now, I imagined that she was generally very conservative and didn't have a boyfriend. She was the independent type leaving japan to go travelling around now living here in canada on a student/work visa. She wasn't rich and didn't have enough money to study which is another thing that she wanted. So maybe all that pent up emotions held up inside suddenly released after a couple bottles of alcohol. Just like the young japanese woman who totally let herself loose on the dance floor at the wedding the other week. On sunday, one of my friends friend also got drunk at another wedding. He was usually quite conservative but on this day after six or seven shots with the groom, he was totally wasted and even started crying in front of everyone. His wife who normally did the crying whenever I had seen them arguing about something was now the one not crying.
When I stopped making out with Kyoko on the couch, I noticed a couple sitting on the couch opposite us watching us with great interest.
"How are you feeling now Kyoko?"
"I'm good. Do you want another drink Lei?" she asked me.
"No its alright. I think we've had enough alcohol for this evening. I'm still surprised at you with just your two drinks."
By now Dieter and Michiru are back.
"Hey Lei, maybe we should leave now." I nod but interject.
"Lets just try to get some more water and have kyoko rest a bit."
We get up and Kyoko is still a bit wobbly so we sit back down on the same couch as the couple who was watching us. Dieter is back with a cup of water as I continue to hold Kyoko in my arm. Dieter leaves and a gay guy stop to talk to Kyoko.
"Is he treating you alright?"
She nods in agreement.
"Good. Here, drink some more water" adds the gay guy as he pours water from his bottle into hers. A little while later another gay guy comes by and stops.
"Don't fall asleep honey." I had been distracted. The couple sitting beside us had started talking to me.
"Is she going to be ok?" the woman asks.
"Yeah. She's not sick. Just a little too much to drink."
"Thats good to hear. If you need any help, let me know and I'll be glad to help you take her home. I'm also japanese. My names Hiroko."
"Nice to meet you Hiroko. It'll be ok. Kyoko doesn't live far from here." I then asked her the following.
"What brings you and your friend to this bar, a gay bar?"
"Well we were just at a fundraising party earlier this evening on broadway and all they played was african beat music. We got bored so we came here. Do all the clubs stay open this late in vancouver?"
"Well not really. I think it just started this week. My friend read about it in the papers yesterday."
"Oh. Thats good. It's more fun when the places can stay open late." she says.
"Which clubs do you prefer to go to?" she asks me.
"Actually, I don't go clubbing that much." Hiroko is surprised. "It's only been the last while that I've been going out alot. Maybe its just the season." Maybe Hiroko is surprised since she was watching me making out with Kyoko on the couch in the club in front of everyone.
"Oh, you look like you go clubbing alot."
"What clubs do you normally like to go to?" I ask her.
"I like Au bar and Sky bar."
"I've heard of both those places but haven't actually been. Maybe we'll all have to go there once. It should be good fun."
"What do you think of here?"
"Well at first I was thinking it wasn't the best idea but now, its not so bad. I've already got my female companion here and so does my other friend. The music is good. Everyone's having fun. You don't notice the gay factor. Like in a regular club, you don't think if they are gay or straight. You just don't bother with them as you are doing your own thing with your friends."
A new song starts and a fireman starts dancing on the stripping platform.
"Did you know that guys strip on that platform about every hour?" I say to Hiroko.
"Oh really? How could you not get excited at that, well maybe not you but for me yes." Hiroko says to me. She gets up and goes closer for a better view. When she comes back, she's a bit excited and her male friend leaves to go to the washroom. Then the guy in the blue shirt whom Kyoko and I met on the dance floor came by and does the same thing. Points his finger at Kyoko, then at me and gestures the question, "is he your boyfriend? Are you two together?" This time I make it more clear to him and push him away gently.
"Yes she's with me as I hold her closely." Kyoko understands everything but is still half drunk.
"Just checkin" motions the guy. I think he's the only bisexual guy in this place. He then sits besides Hiroko and tries to talk to her up when her male friend returns. They exchange some words and the bisexual guy leaves.
A woman then comes buy seemingly normal looking and not a lesbian looking for E. No one on the two couches we occupy know of anyone selling E tonight.
We continued to sit there while I tried to keep Kyoko awake. The gay guys have been very supportive and helpful in general. I play with Kyoko's arm moving it around and look at her small hands. There is a ring on one finger where the silver is made to look like a ribbon tied in a bow loop. One small diamond is mounted off the end of a one free bow or loop. A really interesting design not like the usual kind you see.

We left the place almost at closing around four in the morning. Dieter and I survived the gay bar as I guess, we weren't cute enough. Dieter and Michiru disappear and I am left alone with Kyoko taking her back to her apartment. Driving back home to Surrey, the sun was already coming up at around five thirty.

A few hours later, Kyoko got up with a huge hangover. Her friends called and she wanted to meet up with them to watch the pride parade. It started at noon but they wanted get a good spot early at eight. I drove back to meet up with Dieter and Michiru at noon as we are not early risers. I wonder what Kyoko remembers of the evening before and of me.

Two other female friends of mine call me to see if there will be beach volleyball. They're both married but still another opportunity to just hang out with two more women. They count but not in that way. I cancelled beach volleyball ball after another person called. I was too tired after we went for lunch on robson street at a noodle shop. Walking back down to Denman street we found a shop that sold those cheap bamboo mats and found a spot in stanley park to take a nap.

A parade watcher poses with three gay people from the parade.

Late monday, I hung out with dieter again after doing some work at the nursing home again and talking to some of the people in the rental house. The charity group had held a car wash to raise money to paint the house. While back downtown, I suggested to Dieter that we go for a run around Stanley park to talk over what we had thought of our dates on saturday night. Both of us felt that nothing long term would develop. Michiru was leaving in a month to go back to Japan. Kyoko is leaving in ten months time. Neither study here and by the end if this long weekend, she had already told Dieter that she didn't see him as a long term boyfriend. Kyoko is the distant type always tending to their work or need for individuality first. She does not show her emotions all the time which gives the appearance that she does not care for the relationship I think while also choosing not to rely on anyone else but themself. That is, when they are still sober... During the run, I saw Francine. She was rollerblading with her younger sister. Yet again two more women to talk to. Francine is a new recruit on my current volleyball team and is the girlfriend of Pierre who I also recruited. This was the first time running for me and Dieter doesn't run often. We cut through lumberman's arch so that we do not have as far to go incase we run into trouble. Half way through on the back side Dieter has to walk. I keep going but not much farther I stop in a shaded area along a railing behind a blind corner. As Dieter catches up and rests, two young women stumble on their rollerblades and stop nearly in front of us. Dieter and I look at them. A crowd of other seawall goers pass between us and we discuss what moves we should make.
"Excuse me, do you know where second beach is?" asks one of them to an old couple near us.
"Sorry, you're well past it. If you turn around you'll see third beach, then second."
"Thank you." The one young woman skates off leaving her other friend who can barely stop.
Dieter hands me his cellphone knowing that I've left everything back at his condo. Just as he does this Francine and her sister show up on their rollerblades and stop to chat. The other woman finally disappears. Damn I think to myself.
"Hi Francine. How are you."
"Oh was that you Lei? I thought you were like, Chris at first but then after seeing you here now I realized it was you." She introduces me to her younger sister whom I have never met and I introduce her to Dieter.
"Here, let me call Pierre so you can say hi." as francine digs around in her bag for her cellphone and begins dialing. She hands me the phone.
"Bonjour Pierre!"
"Bonjour Lei"
"Comme ca va?"
"Eh oui, ca va."
"Lei, you need to improve your french so we can say more than just those few lines everytime we talk to each udder."
"yeah but there's no one else here I can practice with. There's too many languages for me to have to learn with the people I know. Japanese, german, french, mandarain..."
We end of talking for a long time on Francine's phone before Dieter and I finally say our good byes.
"Lei, those two girls are probably down at the beach."
When we get there we slow down our jogging pace. First at third beach, then second and near the end when we're about to give up, we see them.
"Okay Lei, it is your turn."
"Me? I just know where they are, you're the brave one who goes up to total strangers asking for their numbers."
Dieter holds out his cell phone once again.
"Go get her number."
Oh god, the pressure.
"Which one do you like Dieter? The blonde or the dark one?"
"The dark one is attractive but since you saw her first, you get her." Dieter continues to hold out his phone towards me.
"Go Lei..."
I ponder this for a while and notice four people trying to pass a volleyball to each other by bumping and setting on asphalt right beside the water. After a few bumps the ball goes into the water.
I start walking towards the woman of interest and see that she is now heading in my direction too.
"Excuse me, could I have number so that we could go out?"
"sorry, I already have a boyfriend."
She leaves. I am not heartbroken.
"She was lying" dieter says to me.
"Yeah I think you're right." Down goes the second aeroplane.

End of the double weekend.

A Few Weeks Ago

Down at Spanish Banks I had a small bbq again. My friend had a couple of old buddies from Toronto who were just passing thru on a roadtrip to the states.

A Fighting Fish

It's been almost ten days and he's still alive. His home is a small glass bowl with a ribbon and small glass necklace tied in the peace symbol. On the bottom is a small layer of green red rocks. I hope he doesn't die. I hope he will live as long as I can possibly keep him alive. From across the room I can see his small body wiggling smoothly in the water. His fins are like the tails of a peacock. So colourful, large and vibrant. A vibrant red like a young woman with full long hair tied in one tail behind her head, dyed like so many women do these days. Dyed like I once had my hair done and for a moment, elden sits still on the bottom of the fish bowl without movement. He does this when ever I stand in front of him close up about ready to feed him the two or three pieces of fish flakes for food. I would get really close and just stare at him. If I move to the side, he would follow always staying with me. Everyday when I come home and in the morning when I wake up, I see bubbles around the edge of the water against the glass. Elden is ready. The bubbles are a sign that he wants to mate with a female.

"Lei, I need a girlfriend" is what my friend wrote to me in his email while I was at work the other day.

Earlier that day in a conversation between him and one of his law firm partners...

"Dieter, are you going to the dinner on the 11th?"
"Oh, yes that would be nice."
"Great. And please bring your wife or girlfriend too. Oh wait, you don't have one! Any luck on that front?"
"Ummm nooo unfortunately."
"That's too bad Dieter. Everyone else will. You'd better get crackin."

Back to today... so the race is on. We're trying. He's got a few profiles at an online dating site and I've suggested another. Friday we went to a club on robson street to try our luck. Or rather his as I'm not one who believe in meeting potential relationship types in clubs. In the lineup we meet three young women from Switzerland. They just arrived the night before. One of them over hears us and I can see she is a little bit interested in talking. Dieter begins to talk to them and finds out who they are and where they came from. Then a group of young south america women and an asian man show up in the line up behind us. Of the three swiss girls, there is one woman who is quite pretty and in the group now behind us there is one that is very attractive. I recognize the young man with the women behind us as he is a friend of Jorge whom I met last year. Jorge has since returned to mexico but Min is still here now studying at UBC. One of the women is his new homestead housemates. They had three in their household before. We begin to talk with Min and the south american clan before someone in the group decides that they do not want to wait so they leave.

Dieter and I wait and go into the club. Dieter is continues to talk with the swiss girls because they can speak a different dialect of german. I would find out later that he does not particularly like that dialect because of the way it sounds. When we get in, we find our way to where the swiss girls are. The two average looking ones go dancing while the pretty one continues to stand there at a table in front of me. Dieter sees something on the floor. I watch him bend down, pick it up and put it on the table. He taps the pretty swiss girl on the shoulder as she is looking away from us at first. She turns towards him and Dieter points at two pennies sitting on the table. Up until now, the pretty girl has not spoken to Dieter, only the other two swiss girls.
"Excuse me, did you drop these two pennies?" he asks her.
She gives him a weird look and I shake my head in disappointment.
Dirk steps away and I just stare at him.
"What are you doing Dieter? It's only two pennies?!?!?"
Later on, he takes out a business card and gives it to one of the swiss girls on the dance floor. From a distance I could see the two of them try to look at the card in the limited lighting available with a puzzled expression on their faces. I don't think they are going to call him for a guided tour of vancouver.