January 24th 2008
Yesterday was my last day in Buenos Aires, although it still feels like yesterday because yesterday ran into today and I am sitting in the airport as I write this. The day started like a usual day in Buenos Aires for me only there was this tinge in the air to enjoy every bit of Buenos Aires as I could. Every little thing that use to annoy me began to taste sweet. I threw on a silk baby blue tank with beaded lace, and a tight pair of jeans. I completed the outfit with the pair of chatitas (sandals) that I bought here and through my hair into a ponytail. The argentine men in the street must of loved this outfit because I noticed they were super cat calling. That’s when I realized I would miss being desired by so many men, sometimes 15 or more in one day. I will miss them telling me the unique things they love about me like my lips and smile. I was not too sad over this because I knew this would always be something I will always take with me. I had a few hours before I needed to meet Eugenia at a bar called Shamrock for an after work thing. She told me I could not have a last night in Buenos Aires without going out one last time.
Before I headed to meet Eugenia I decided to stop in to say one last goodbye to Raf. You guys remember Raf right? The chef I befriended in the French restaurant below my apartment. We chatted for a half an hour and Raf told me he would mail a silver chain to the United States to me as a gift.
I hoped on the D line in the subte and it wasn’t as crowded as it usually was because in January most of the Argentines go on vacation, but I enjoyed my last ride on the subte. I met Eugenia at her job and we walked to Shamrock. When we walked in it was dark and smokey. We went to the bathroom to freshen up and I noticed the bathroom doors had black and white pictures of eccentric naked men (for the men’s room) and women (for the women’s room) like you would find in old art house films. After we emerged from the bathroom we headed down two flights of steps framed by black velvet curtains that simulated doors. Eugenia and I picked a table downstairs and began to chat. That’s when Eugenia dropped a bomb that I was not expecting. She said to me
“Do you know Heath Ledger is dead?”
That’s when my heart and jaw dropped.
“What????? When?????? When did this happen????? How????? He just finished the new batman movie.”
I had been without internet for a week and a few days and did not know what was going on in the world.
“He died yesterday.”
She said. We both expressed our respect for his acting and expressed how sad his passing was. Then a friend of Eugenia came so we changed the topic to a brighter one. We began to talk about life, guys, sex, vacations, New York, guys, sex, work, guys and sex. I pulled out my camera and yelled
“Phoootooo!!!!”
That’s when Eugenia’s friend sang
“Phoootooo photo photo photo Phoootooo photo photo photo!!”
A famous song they sing here when a photo opportunity is present. I will miss that.
Shamrock began to fill as it became later. The guys there that night were cute and I wished I knew about Shamrock earlier. That’s when Eugenia said out loud as if she read my mind
“I should have bought you here in the beginning. I am sure you would of found a boy here.”
I believed her. There were a lot of potential playmates and I thought damn just my luck on my last day. I noticed a group of three guys staring in our direction for an hour. Another friend of Eugenia came to join and we talked more and shared laughs. When it came close to 11:30 one of the guys from the group of three pulled a table over to us and joined it with ours. With boldness he took the first initiative to flirt. While his friends fell back a little shy. By the way this was carried out I suspected they were plotting this bold move for an hour. Later we discovered two of their names were Juan and Hugo. Hugo introduced Juan to me and told me Juan wanted to communicate with me but his English was not strong enough. So he did not know how. Juan had a very youthful face but was still handsome. His face reminded me of a ken doll. I spoke with Juan in a mix of Spanish and English. He was picking my brain on what type of guys I liked and tried to find out if I thought he was handsome. That’s when Eugenia and I explained to him and his friend that it was my last night in Buenos Aires, and this saddened them. Then another friend of theirs came to join us. He was from Brazil and when he saw me he thought I was from Brazil as well, like everyone thinks of every black person in Buenos Aires. I said the usual
“Noooooo Los Estados Unidos.”
The Brazilian guys name was Ricardo. He immediately became the life of the party, making jokes, taking my camera to take pictures of all of us together. He spoke very little English as well. Hugo then said to me
“Brazilian boys are sex maniacs. All they do is sex sex sex.”
I said
“Argentine men as well!!!!”
Juan and Hugo just laughed. Eugenia and Ricardo took a picture together and when I pointed out how cute they looked in it Juan said
“They will get married in two months.”
Then he said
“You and I in one month.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed. As it reached 11:00 o’clock at night I wanted to start heading back home so I could finish saying goodbye to friends, pack and take a shower. My taxi was coming to pick me up at 3:00 in the morning. Juan was sad and tried to persuade me to stay by saying
“Please don’t go.”
He then told me to marry him again. I said no. He then asked when was I planning on visiting Buenos Aires again? I said maybe in two years. He then said
“When you come back in two years marry me.”
Juan then took my email and gave me a gift. It was a small whistle. I forgot what he called it but it was a famous kind of whistles that young Argentines use at parties. Now it was 11:30 and Juan was pushing for a kiss. He wanted to take me upstairs to kiss me because he felt that because there were more people upstairs they would be less likely to stare. I told him he ruined the moment because
1. He was pressuring me for a kiss
2. He planned it.
I tried to explain in as much English and Spanish as I could that a kiss should never be planned. It should be unexpected and passionate. Anyway at about 11:40 they walked us outside of Shamrock. To satisfy Juan’s urges I gave him a few Pigeon Kisses sin lengua y nada mas. He was a little bummed about this but he took what he could get. Eugenia asked how I wanted to get home and I chose by collectivo. I wanted to ride one to my apartment one last time. Juan, Hugo and Eugenia walked me to the 152. When it came I hoped on and hurried home. Once there I was rushing about. I gave to good friends of mine in Argentina a call because they had called me when I was at Shamrock to say goodbye and wish me a safe trip. They gave me such warm wishes and thoughts of love. Marian was like the big sister that watched over me here. She took me to the doctor once when I needed someone to go with me, because I could not speak Spanish that well. She is the person who taught me Spanish. Her three-year-old daughter Luna is like a niece to me. I was glad she called because I was missing her and Luna already. She said she had been thinking about me too a lot so wanted to call and say goodbye. It was beautiful sentimental moment I will never forget. I was going to try and run out to see her and Katrin but it would have been cutting it close. After I hung up with Marian I ran upstairs to see Nestor. I could not find him earlier that day but could not leave without saying goodbye. Nestor was sleeping but I rung the bell three times and he finally heard me. I gave him a hug and thanked him for everything he has done for me and thanked him for being there for me in the beginning when I was alone. I skipped down his steps and waved my hand bye like I did so many times before, but this time instead of saying Chau Luego or until tomorrow like before I could only say Chau. Once back in my apartment I finished packing the last bit of things I needed to pack and showered. I through on a new set of clothes and waited for my taxi to come pick me up. While waiting I made sure to stand on my balcony for a little while. I breathed in the night air while gazing at the stars and moon. Half-hour later my taxi rung my bell and I took one last look at my apartment and shut the door. Now as I complete this writing I am on a plane one and a half hours from New York. The mixed emotions have already started to hit me a little and as I heard a man speaking English on my flight, I realized I would miss hearing a lot of Spanish. The whole day of traveling I forced myself to speak mostly Spanish even if someone was speaking to me in English. Luckily I flew with a Spanish-speaking airline so it was not hard to do. I know once I see those city lights and walk into the arms of my loving family it will officially mark the end of my Buenos Aires journey. A Journey I am happy you all kept reading about and took along with me.
Jordin Sparks Tattoo is the song that I am recognizing as my official theme song for my Argentina journey. The song sums up where I am in my life right now and how I feel about Buenos Aires and the whole experience. To hear the song click on this link
http://free.napster.com/view/track/?id=22138283
























