I haven't told Chris but I was kissed by a tall, handsome stranger yesterday, named Jock. Frankly, I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't want him to kiss me. He had such beautiful eyes. I've been thinking about Jock a lot since then, and it's all a bit ridiculous because I saw him kiss another woman, too. Reminds me of a French man I went out with for years in college who I found out was cheating on me with a girl I knew. I was broken hearted but, stupidly, took him back again (only to have him cheat on me once more. ~Sigh.) Enough of that... I am sure you are tired of hearing about these old love stories of mine.
Now the thing about Jock is that he is incredibly tall. I once dated someone who was 6 feet, six inches tall, a foot taller than me. We looked ridiculous dancing together, I can tell you. But Jock is even taller. And here's the other thing about him - he has no upper teeth (that I could see, anyway). Now I can hear you tsk-tsking about poor dental care, and you may be right - I doubt he has ever been to a dentist. Look, I don't care. I had a mad crush on a graduate school professor who bore a striking resemblance to Yoda. There is no accounting for chemistry - it works in mysterious ways.
I keep telling myself that the logistics of this whole thing would never work. I mean, Jock's Kenyan and has a family. I'm American and have a family. But maybe we could be like Brokeback Mountain -- just get together once a year for a glorious weekend. I don't know what the answer is. All I know is that I want to see him again.
But perhaps you might like to see him, too. In fact, I think you should.
Jock can be found with 12 of his cohorts at The Giraffe Centre in a Nairobi suburb. In the Centre's huge tree house, he will come and eat right out of your hand (imagine that!) . His tongue is black and very long. The Giraffe Centre is responsible for growing the endangered Kenyan Rothschild giraffe population from 120 to 300. When they are old enough, the giraffes are set back into the wild where they can roam free. Isn't that a nice story?
And if a tete-a-tete with Jock (and Laura, and Lynne, and Betty...) is not enough, for $595 a night (full board included), you can stay at the gorgeous Giraffe Manor. There Jock will actually stick his head right through your bedroom window (cheeky, I know). I think he might just be the kind of bedroom intruder that I could get even Chris to accept...
Image by The Giraffe Manor.