3 days later. It is a Sunday and it is 38°. The sky is white after a major snowfall yesterday. Today it’s supposed to go up to 48° and there will be rain. Most of the snow that has fallen has melted away making things foggy. Manhattan cannot be seen, and Jersey City is obscured too.

Friday I took a bus ride to Mike’s crib. It was a good time, photographs and cigars among other things. Arty photographs. Mike is a breath of fresh air and in some ways, he’s like a kid. His enthusiasm for most things is contagious and that’s always welcome.

I stayed longer than expected but it was no big deal. He worried about my getting home safely but thanks to the Lyft driver it was an enjoyable ride. The driver, seemingly in his 20s was playing Latin music from the 50’s which happens to be the era of Latin music that I enjoy the most. For each song that played, I pulled out my phone to identify the song and the artist and then opened on YouTube so I could have it in my viewing history.

And at Mike’s insistence, I called him once I got home. I was starving and cooked dinner for Bill and myself. Despite it being Friday I made my Saturday night supper, Pasta (fusilli), Pesto, and chicken. I think the meal had greatly improved, each week adding something to it and both Bill and I agreed that it was exceptional, almost.

The scheduling was rearranged since Mike was coming over on Saturday to watch movies with Bill and me and then sleep on the couch so he could walk to work from here in the morning. We watched Passing Strange which Bill and I saw at the Public Theater 18 years ago. Susan and Lois from Farfetched suggested we see it and so we followed their suggestion.

We loved it, it was funny and moving and the music was excellent. It moved to Broadway soon after that and Spike Lee made a movie of the stage show in it’s last days before closing. I had forgotten how good it was and the sadness hit home. Mike loved it and was engrossed, asking Bill questions about how shows are run.

Coleman Domingo was in it, he stood out since we’ve become fans in the past year or so. That’s not to lessen the talent of the rest of the cast who seem to have done well for themselves in the years following. I didn’t realize it then, or maybe I did, that the Black cast was playing White in the Amsterdam/Berlin scenes.

After watching the extras on the DVD Bill went to sleep and Mike and I watched part of the Rocky Horror Picture Show which Mike had seen years ago on VH1 and loved it. That surprised me, his love for a show such as that. He told me he watched it with members of his family one Halloween years ago and it had become a family favorite.

Soon he too was snoring as he slept and I got into bed with Bill. 6:00 AM arrived soon enough, I got up to see Mike on his way and give him an umbrella from the Alger years. I went back to bed and now here I am, off to run some errands with a groggy Bill. Quite a few things I would like to see this afternoon, hopefully, Bill will be awake enough to join me.

Today is Thursday, February 13, 2025 and it is 46°, which isn’t so bad but I am indoors and probably won’t be out again until tomorrow. It’s been a mediocre day mostly. Not much to report. When I last wrote in my blank book 42 years ago I was mostly hanging out in Bergen County. I glanced at an entry from when I was 20 years old.

My friendship with the guy who lived on Lanza Ave in Garfield, Perry- was deteriorating rapidly. I read about stopping by his house and he was going out. His brother Darren invited me to hang out with him but I didn’t. That was a weird thing. Darren and his buddy, (I’ll call him Rusty because I think he had red hair) were gay. Gay recognized Gay back then but it was unspoken.

Darren was very handsome, not my type but still…

Perry’s sister Tina and her husband Kenny, lived two blocks away from my house on Riverview Ave and their apartment was an occasional hang out. Mainly smoking pot though I think cocaine was introduced once during those days. Mainly it was hanging out, smoking pot, and listening to records.

One time, Darren and Rusty were there with Tina, Kenny, and Perry. Something was said which was interpreted with a gay slant from Darren & Rusty & myself and we giggled quite a bit. The other three did not get what we were laughing at and being in 3 separate closets, we didn’t say anything.

Once the friendship between Perry and myself was severed I never saw Tina and Kenny again. Frank and Elaine lived in the same apartment complex at the time and one time Tina saw Frank and told him to pass along a message that whatever happened between Perry and myself could be forgotten, and I was always welcomed at Tina and Kenny’s spot.

But I wasn’t going back. I was going to Hoboken more and more and having a much better time there with people who liked me for who I was, there was no need to pretend to be something I wasn’t. And the music was so much better at Maxwell’s than on Main Street in Lodi.

I did run into Darren once after the falling out with Perry. I drove by the rest area, a cruising spot near Riverview Ave. It was during the day and I was completing a run from Saddle Brook NJ to midtown Manhattan. I recognized Darren’s car and we wound up on Riverview Ave, just talking for a short while.

The only time that Perry or his family were mentioned was when Darren pleaded with me to not say anything about Darren being gay.

I kept my end of the bargain which is more than I could say for Perry, who I came out to and asked him to not say anything. He said something to his girlfriend who we worked with and she told two friends and so on and so on. I stayed silent on Darren (and Rusty). I did go to the funeral for Darren, Perry, and Tina’s mother when she passed away from cancer.

After that, I was bound to Hoboken and friends there. Perry was the first person I came out to and he betrayed me. The second person I came out to was Jet Watley who supported me and proved to be a far better friend, whom I had many adventures with.

Sad to say Darren Dedovitch eventually died from AIDS and I think Rusty died soon after that. I have no idea if Darren died in the closet. It would have been a shame if he did.