Real Talk: - Some Homo -
I don’t know about you kids out on the East Coast, but out here in the West, when we get too old for our parents to ship us off to Maine (so that the parentals can schtup and smoke weed all day without having the kiddies around), they send us on a Teen Tour. Say it with me now, TEEN TOUR.
A Teen Tour consists of a cross-country trek by bus in which 40 or something Proactiv cleansing, Blink 182, NOFX, Backstreet Boys listening 16-year olds band together to see the national monuments and campgrounds in one fell swoop. For some, it can be hell. Others, a necessary evil to adulthood — on the road with no parents!
For me, it was the first time I had a girl put her mouth on my penis in a moving vehicle (albeit a bus). Ain’t life grand? But “a grand don’t come fo’ free” - Mike Skinner. On day one of the Teen Tour I made a serious connection with Kub (pictured above). We were fast friends from Day 1. Only one problem: she had a dusche-bag boyfriend back in Canton, Mass. It took me all the way from NYC (where the tour began) to NEVADA to get her to start hooking-up/getting naked/touching my wang on the reggs. I remember the first time she made out with me — we were in Las Vegas, at a midnight showing of SCARY MOVIE. If that doesn’t spell class I don’t know what does.
As the trip came to a head, we ended up in the San Francisco Hyatt where all of us “campers” danced and said their final goodbyes. I wanted to head-off in style: with a beej on the bathroom floor, much like a popular Shaggy song of the time.
Let me tell you something: For the 44 Days of the U.S. Explorer, homegirl was my everything. My best friend, my lover, my sleeping on the bus companion, and well, one of my first loves. I’ll never forget her standing in the airport in San Fran, crying as I had to wave goodbye, as she was heading back to Mass. and I to Los Angeles (a mere 15 minutes away). I also remember getting on the plane, watching us take off, and sobbing like a little fucking bitch to myself, wiping my snot in my Method-Man t-shirt. (Can you blame me? The BLACKOUT album had recently dropped).
Now, who is that dapper gentleman in the sailing picture next to Lauren, you might ask? That is WARREN — my go-to dog/counselor on the Teen Tour. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve never gotten [REDACTED at the request of the girl in question], schtupped at the UofM when we stopped there for four days. [Writer’s Note: Some girl cried on the way to UMich because she had to shit so bad but didn’t wanna go on the bus]. He facilitated all my hook-ups by turning the other cheek. Warren and I still talk from time to time, and I even wear his old SLEEMAN’S LIQUOR t-shirt as an homage to the great Canadian counselor. Because they don’t have A&F in Canada (Warren’s home town) he traded me his ID and t-shirts for my A&F shirt (yeah, I was a dork once). For years I would buy cigarettes, porn, and alcohol as Warren Smulowitz until I turned 21.
I ran into her in a NYC bar when I was a Junior in college. She was with her boyfriend. In the dimly lit, crowded, sweaty, drunken state of mind that I was in — I will be honest, she wasn’t as cute, and it wasn’t as loving as it was when she was my explorer-lover for life. For now, I have a special place reserved for her in my heart — the same space I reserve for Reeses Pieces and the time I got laid in a Doctor’s Office.
Homegirl, if you are out there — you are a gem. But go easy on the bronzer.
Finally - since when did you start fucking Djimon Hansou?