Things Go Bump in the Night

Mikey came over last night. It had been about four months since I had seen him. We had a delightful evening.

He and I met about six months ago on ManHunt. He is much younger than I, so I did not even notice him until he emailed me online one evening in February. As a rule, I don't look at profiles of guys whose age divided into mine yields two and a remainder. We met up, then saw each other a couple of times after that. In the spring, he moved away and left a wistful memory in his wake.

He was in the neighborhood last night visiting (in his words) his parental units. I answered the door, and he had a very bright smile on his face that pretty much flooded the hallway with its brilliance. Don't get me wrong. I'm not worshipping youth or beauty in that last statement. It's simply the truth, he had this bouncy, happy, excited look that was infectious, and I'm certain that I was also smiling and quite happy to have him pay a gentleman's call to my door.

He wore me out. I slept well last night, smiling. What I enjoy most, though, is the connection with Mike who lives in a totally different world. When I catch up with him I get to glimpse this twenty-something world that is alien, fast-paced, and social - full of cultural references about which I'm clueless. I'm guilty of indulging myself in the vicarious thrills of listening to his story and thinking, "I remember when...." I bite my tongue. I wouldn't want Mikey to think I'm an old man.