As I leave the gates of Windmill House, I gaze left and right down the alley of the building in which I was staying. My footsteps follow left, then right, and slowly I get to Southwark Station. I look down to my left hoping to see the dog and his owner sitting outside the station, as they had been the few previous days of my stay in London. As I close my eyes and think back on this moment, this evening, and the rest of my trip in London, I think of the complete strangers I met, and the friendships that emerged and the memories I will cherish forever.
As the story continues, I take my mind out of the picture, and what is left is a boy, alone, in London. But this boy was not lonely but filled with joy. The energy and life of London began re-energizing a boy that was zapped of his breath and life by a woman and love that was no more. As he wandered the streets of London looking for a place to eat, and a way to ring in his 30th birthday, he saw a pub on the left corner of a street. He entered the pub and asked if he could be seated. The bartender directed him to the narrow stairs leading to the second-floor dining area. As he entered the threshold of the room and greeted a restaurant employee, she escorted him to his seat. As I looked around up, in front of me were three 24-year-old mates sitting right in front of me. As they talked aloud, something of what they said caught my attention, and so I chimed in and replied. From there a bond was formed, and the boys invited me to their table for a pint, and dinner. As we discussed our lives and cultures and the fact that I was celebrating my 30th birthday in just a few hours- time, the boys decided it was necessary to take me to the town to celebrate. And so, I obliged. After enjoying the moment and a few pints of beer, we headed off. 4 boys – 2 Germans, 1 Brit, and 1 American.
Off we went, my sense of direction in the moment was unclear, for I was living in the moment, not concerned about the direction of our path on foot. We emerged at our destination, yet another pub. The boys and I were joined by two ladies on our way to this destination. The time came and went. Freddy had to leave early to go home to travel to see his girlfriend and was accompanied by Julian, and all that was left was my English mate, his lady friend, and I. What I did not realized about London pub life is that they close at midnight and it was just after 11 and so I thought my night was soon to end. It was only the beginning….
My new friend suggested a nightclub, and in the back of my mind I wished the night wouldn’t end And so the three were off. The next stop was “The Ned.” We hopped into the Uber and were headed off toward 27 Poultry, London, United Kingdom. We reached our destination, and exited the Mercedes, walking up the stairs to the entrance of the hotel. We walked through the restaurant as men and women dressed in night attire, drank their after -dinner wine and cocktails. The boy felt extremely out of place, but nonetheless, the theme of this trip and that year for him was to step out of his comfort zone, and so he put one foot in front of the other moving forward with his steps in sync. My new friend greeted the host of the nightclub, showed his membership card, and soon we entered the dimly lit nightclub. Music was playing and the room was filled with people talking, dancing, and observing others around them. The new friend I had made began getting intimate with his lady friend on the corner couch and so I was on my own yet again, as I was to begin the night. I looked around and found an empty chair at the bar. I sat down and quickly began to talk to the gentlemen to the left of me. We introduced ourselves, my new acquaintance before me was Simon, a British man with a nicely groomed beard and glasses. He introduced me to his lady friend, who was now on the side of me. Sandwiched between two Brits, I was teased about how I stuck out like a sore thumb. “You are so American, only a Yankee wears an undershirt under his Polo,” was the shade thrown upon the boy from his new British companion. Simon spoke fondly of husband, who was not present that evening. Simon also played the role of matchmaker that night and in my mind, who would have thought a gay man I just met would turn into the person who would grab a woman’s attention for me. As midnight approached, Simon offered to buy me a tequila shot to bring in my big 3-0. As the seconds countdown to midnight, the boy left the world inside The Ned and became lost in his mind. He was overwhelmed with happiness and needed to step out of the moment to enjoy what he was experiencing inside of it.
As the three took down the tequila shots, the boy reminded them of why he doesn’t drink while his face cringed from the aftereffects of the to-kill-ya shot. As Simon’s female friend left the scene, soon emerged another of his friend’s, a Persian woman from Greece now living in London. As Simon leaves the scene of dialogue, the boy and his new Greco-Persian acquaintance begin to wrestle with words. As their thoughts pushed from tongue to cheek, the energy between the boy and his acquittance grew, and culminated in a kiss. She released and looked at the boy. “You’re amazing, but America boy, you are bad for me.” The boy was confused as the girl walked away never to emerge again that evening but later found out she too was suffering from a broken heart and apologized for her ghosting act. The boy went on to meet several other people that night, 2 Italian Boys, 1 more British, all of which he speaks to today. But no other friend made on that trip made quite the impression as Simon did.
As the night ended, the celebration of his 30th birthday was only beginning. The next morning the boy awoke, feeling a bit squeamish, but ready to seize the day. The boy walked about London, strolling through a familiar market he had been to previously. He bought himself an Irish pinky ring, featuring a heart with a crown on its top. The boy grabbed a grilled chicken sandwich, forcing it down as best he could, still feeling down from the night before. As the boy headed back to Windmill House on foot, he thought about the event and evening to come. Later that evening, the boy was to attend the first ever MLB game in Europe. It was as if the stars were aligning in the world in and out of his mind. On the biggest birthday of his life, his favorite team was playing its biggest rival, Yankees vs. Red Sox, at Queen Elizabeth Park. As the boy rode the jampacked underground tube to the game, the hangover began to fade, and excitement and an overwhelming feeling of raw emotion filled inside of him. As the boy walked swiftly in the direction of the crowd, the boy looked up and finally saw the stadium from afar, the lights shining and bleeding Yankee blue. As the gate to the stadium approached, the boy stopped for a moment to take a picture. Click. The boy sends a picture and text to his dad, shedding a single tear as he told me he wished he was there to experience this once-in-a-lifetime moment with his only son. The game was then dragged on, ending up being the second longest game in MLB history. I sat next to a man from Tokyo who flew 12 hours to see Tanaka pitch less than 1 inning, and the man to the right of me was the former commissioner of the Atlantic-10 conference, the conference I played college baseball in at La Salle. His friend who he was with had just been offered the Head Softball Coach at Boston College. In life, I’ve realized there are very few degrees of separation between you and the “strangers” you encounter and this moment was no different.
And just like any day, night, and birthday, it always comes to an end. And so we fast-forward to my final morning in London. I stayed in contact with Simon throughout my time in London, and even until this day. The date is July 1st and I found myself getting picked up by the Uber and off I went for breakfast at the place where it all started, the NED. As I carried my giant suitcase through the hotel lobby to the elevator, I couldn’t help but think what better way to enjoy my last bit of London than from the rooftop of the Ned with one of my new friends. As I exited the elevator, I walked up to the host who soon escorted me to the table. Simon arrived before me and stood as I walked up. I couldn’t help but feel in awe by the view from the rooftop breakfast lounge that overlooked the London skyline. Simon made fun of my attire, as I decided to wear baby blue pants and a bright pink polo, hoping to leave the people of London with a lasting impression of this tall American boy named Sean Kennedy. Simon and I sat and drank our coffee and ate our meal. As time progressed, the topic of discussion landed on the royal family. Between making fun of my meal choice and my American way of thinking, he talked about the power structure of the royal family. He told me that Harry and Megan were dependent on the family and his brother to support him going forward throughout his life because of titles of nobility. Simon taught me so much about British life both with words and with how he carried himself with such grace and manners, because to me that is what I have thought about when I have pictured London in my mind throughout my young life up to this point in time.
As we exited the rooftop bar, headed down the elevator, and made our way down the steps out of the door of the Ned, Simon walked me to King’s Cross Station where I departed for my next destination, Paris. Simon showed me that true hospitality still exists in this world. Simon also showed me that gay men are great for a single man to have around, for he has given me countless bits of advice on women and relationships, as well as what to do and what not to do in important situations. Most of all, he taught me that real people exist and no matter what in life, always be true to yourself and do YOU. Simon taught me not to judge a book by its cover, and I hope one day this story will be a lesson to all that wish to lay judgement on another based on their sexual orientation.
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