Mojave Rain

We met online March 12th 2020. I live in Vancouver, Canada and they live in London, England. You can imagine that during the best of times this would be a difficult long-distance love affair. But we met during a global pandemic, and nothing is as easy as it was before, not even the hard things. We connected instantly. Our early messages were flirty check-ins, “how are you entertaining yourself during lock-down?” I’d ask.

“Well, I definitely do not not have my hand in my sweat pants…” they’d reply cheekily. As things got more serious in the world around us, we hunkered down and found that things between us became more serious too, with equal speed and uncertainty. By June we were talking every day and ending messages with, ‘I love you.’ Travel was impossible. We couldn’t make any plans for our future because it seemed like there may be no future... for any of us. But we fell in love anyway. Global pandemic be damned! We poured our hearts out to one another over glitching video chats, text messages, and sleepy phone calls at odd hours. Then, suddenly, a light at the end of the tunnel! Infection rates fell, we were vaccinated, and the world was re-opening. It was finally possible for us to meet in person. We could finally have our first date!

After the seemingly endless months of waiting, it was easy to agree on our perfect first date. We both love the desert in summer. We thrive in the heat and cherish the cool nights. I love star-gazing under wide-open skies, and they collect crystals and fossils. My favorite vacation is Egypt, theirs Peru. The desert is our sanctuary. I found us a place just south of Death Valley with luxury teepees that sounded like heaven. No phone service, no internet, just us—IRL. We agreed to rent separate tents, just in case… But I for one know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we won’t be needing them both.

I arrived this morning, they should be here by 7 pm. My anticipation grows unbearable. I’ve ordered wine for us, a Merlot from Mojave Rain, and I pour two glasses as I eagerly await their arrival. My teepee is spacious and beautifully appointed. I pace back and forth in the large canvas room, my bare feet on the Turkish rugs, my hands fidgeting with my clothes. I consider changing again, maybe the white shirt… When I hear a gentle knock on my teepee flap, and my love walks through the door!

I run to them and throw my arms around their waist smiling like a child with a new puppy. I squeeze, looking deeply into eyes blue as the sea. And I am overwhelmed, without a word I kiss their lips, their cheeks, their eyelids, and perfect nose. I have been waiting for this missing piece of my heart for all my life. They kiss me back and now I am weeping with joy and excitement as our lips meet again. I open my mouth to theirs and our kisses becomes more passionate, I pull their body tightly against my own and we go deeper. Suddenly the months of forced separation are more than we can bear and we must cling to one another. Buttons are undone, hands fumble and then gain confidence as they learn new territory. We map one another’s bodies with our gazes, our hands, our mouths. We fall into the luxurious bed and sink into one another.

After we are spent, we wrap up in cozy linens and grab our waiting glasses of Merlot. We step out into the night to look up into a starry sky. I can make out the constellation Ursa Major, or the big dipper, instantly and smile. I sip my wine and savor the aromas of dark fruits and chocolate mixing with the aftertaste of our lovemaking. Perhaps, in over a year of talking we have run out of words, or perhaps there is simply nothing left to say. A distant coyote howls and we finish our wine in comfortable silence.