Up where the air is clear

Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear

Up through the atmosphere  

Having survived the rest of the bus journey without being offered more chewing tobacco or other substances, I made my way from the bus station to a nearby coffee shop to wait for my next host, David, to finish work. He had said he would come and collect me. As I sat looking out of the window enjoying a coffee, a massive thunderstorm rolled in. David texted to say that he was waiting for the rain to stop before he left the office. I passed the time watching people running through the storm using a various assortment of objects as makeshift umbrellas – bags, newspapers, a tray. It brought back memories of the lazy Sunday lunches I used to have with Gail. We would sit outside All Bar One overlooking the Thames near Tower Bridge, have lunch, drink and people watch (and on occasion be the last people leaving the bar as they locked up for the evening). We would put the passers-by into categories for our Venn diagram – gay, tourist or weirdo. Occasionally we would hit the jackpot and spot a gay, weirdo tourist – a middle Venner.

The rain cleared and David came and picked me up. He drove me back to his place pointing out a few landmarks on the drive over. He showed me to my room, explained where everything was & then headed over to the gym. He did ask if I wanted to go with him but I politely declined. He dropped a message to his friend Chris, who had been acting as my Memphis social secretary, to see if he was around for dinner. I settled myself in, showered and changed while David was at the gym. After David returned we headed over to the Soul Fish Café so I could experience some proper southern comfort food. Chris joined us for dinner.

Me with David & Debbie (the plane)

I opted for the catfish, given I was told that it was the local speciality and we were in the best place to try it for the first time. The waitress taking our order asked me what size portion I would like. It came in small, regular or large. The small size had two pieces of catfish. I figured it was probably best to start with that. The catfish was deep-fried. It came with sweet potato fries and hushpuppies (deep fried). We also ordered some sides and I got to try okra (deep-fried of course). I think the only part of my meal that was not deep-fried was the coleslaw but I am sure if I had asked they would have deep-fried that for me too. The catfish was delicious, as was the rest of the dinner. I certainly felt comforted by the end of dinner, if fat is one of the definitions of comforted. 

David told me that he would be able to take the following morning off work in order to take me on a scenic flight over Memphis. He had his own plane and had been flying for nearly two decades. I had never been in a small plane before so I was very excited about that. Chris told me that he had arranged for another one of his friends to act as my tour guide for the day after too and had put together a suggested itinerary. The itinerary included a trip to Graceland. I told Chris that Mother was a massive Elvis fan and had told me that if I went to Graceland without her she would kill me. We took the tour of Graceland off the itinerary.

The following morning we were up, coffeed & showered and heading to the airfield early. I was getting very excited at the prospect of being given such a special tour of Memphis. We parked up at the airfield and made our way to the hanger. I was introduced to Debbie, David’s plane. After David got everything ready he showed me how to get into the plane. He then went through a safety briefing, telling me how where my nearest emergency exit was (the door right next to me) and the alternate route out of the plane should I be unable to open the door. As we taxied along to the runway my heart rate picked up. We started down the runway, having got clearance to take off. All of a sudden Debbie was up in the air. The feeling was totally different to being in a commercial plane. The flight was really smooth. The plane wasn’t bouncing around all over the place as I had expected. I sat in complete silence taking in the view - the winding Mississippi River, the fields, Memphis off in the distance. We headed to another airfield and landed, so that David could refuel the plane. After refuelling and cooling down for a while we took off again and flew towards Memphis. David got in touch with the tower at Memphis International Airport to request a low approach over one of the runways. After a bit of conversation with the tower we got clearance for the low approach. David explained that Memphis International was the main hub for Fed Ex and that we were approaching along the best runway for me to get a great view of their fleet.

The airport came into view and I could see us lined up with the runway. I could see the rows of Fed Ex planes all parked up as well as the empty lots that indicated how big the fleet actually was. Our low approach saw us flying about 100 feet above the runway until we reached the end and started climbing again. Having got some great pictures we headed back towards the airfield where Debbie lives. On the flight back David asked me if I liked excitement. I said that I did. David immediately pulled back on the controls & the plane climbed quickly, leaving my stomach a few hundred feet below. After climbing we then went it to a bit of a dive. I may, at this point, have squealed like a schoolgirl. We did a couple of turns too. When we banked to the right I was looking straight at the ground out of my side window. I wondered if David was going to do a full loop-the-loop but he didn’t. We landed back, taxied to the hanger and put Debbie back to bed. It was a truly unforgettable morning.

Up where the air is clear  

On the way home from the airfield we stopped off for some lunch at Central BBQ so that I could be introduced to another southern staple – pulled pork. I ordered mine with green beans, potato salad and a large sweet tea (no vodka). We found the one free table left inside. Despite the fact that it was only just midday the place was full & as we sat down I looked back to see a long queue had formed at the counter. We had timed it just right. Our order soon arrived and I tucked in to the pork. It was so good, another meal I finished feeling "comforted .  

 

After we finished lunch & left, the queue was out of the door. We headed back to David’s. He went to work, I had a small nap. After my nap I decided to go for a walk in the park that was just across the street. The afternoon was extremely hot and I was soon sweating. I saw signposts to the Museum so headed in that direction. I had managed to hit the only day of the week that it was closed but I had a look round some of the outdoor pieces of sculpture before heading back to David’s for a shower & change. Chris had given me an introduction to another friend of his, Tim. He  had sent me a message while I was out saying that if I was at a loose end during the evening to let him know and he would keep me entertained. David had a work thing on so I told him that I was at a loose end. We arranged a time for him to pick me up.

Tim duly picked me up and drove me over to meet a friend of his Patty. He had explained my travel plans to her and she was eager to meet me. She broke the gin out before I had even sat down. We were joined by another David who worked for Chris. I was rapidly meeting a lot of the gays in Memphis. After a couple of drinks, Tim and I headed off to get some photos of the sun setting over the Mississippi River. The river turned the most amazing oranges as the sun went down.

The four of us headed to get some food at Tug’s, the local pub. After that we headed Tim’s for a drink before someone suggested going back to Patty’s as she had a pool so anyone who wanted a dip to cool off could. We duly ended up in the pool. Until gone 1am. Drinking. And playing truth or dare...