Pinnacle

At last, at last! It had happened at last. Thirty years and more of waiting, of wanting, now swept aside in one delirious, head-spinning night. After so much anticipation, so many fantasies of how it would be, any version of the reality, he had thought, would be anticlimactic, but how wrong he had been! It had been ecstatic beyond his wildest imagination, hour after hour of sensory overload, more pleasure than he could ever have envisaged, every sight, sound, smell, taste and touch combining to transcend anything that he had ever experienced. He knew there was no love, of course, that it was just a business proposition for his partner, but even that one missing piece of the jigsaw couldn't detract from the wonder, the joy of it all, and, in any case, there had been a kiss on parting, all part of the transaction, but so sensuous, so intoxicating and so freely shared that it could have barely been surpassed by the most passionate of lifelong lovers.

But now the man was alone again, lying on the bed in his small, tidy room, contemplating what had taken place. Suddenly, he felt like he could imagine what it was like for a mountaineer, standing on the summit of Everest, knowing that there was, literally, nowhere to go but down. He remembered that song from the eighties, who was it by? James, that was it - the lyrics played themselves in his head, over and over:

Now I've swung back down again 
It's worse than it was before 
If I hadn't seen such riches 
I could live with being poor 

After staring sightlessly at the ceiling for several minutes, the man walked to his store cupboard, took out a small, flat box, then went to the sink and drew a large glass of cool water. After washing down the contents of the box, he went back to the bed, and laid down as torpor overtook him. So tired, sleep came quickly....and lasted forever.

The boy smiled to himself as he sat on the train, heading back up to London. Shit, I wish they were all like that, he thought, kind, gentle, grateful....and generous. The boy had never seen so much money at one time in his life. Even the kiss the man had asked for before he left, something he normally hated doing, had been really nice. I hope I see him again, he thought, not knowing, how could he, that by the time the thought was born in his mind, the man had already breathed his last.

****

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B