011 Hector and Billy in Miami

I just spent two nights at a huge house in West-Miami. It belongs to an older gay couple I had met in march last year. They were passengers on my second Belgium and Holland trip and were, together with a lady from St-Petersburg, some of the most memorable people of the year. They were really fond of having me over, as at the same time they also had the program director from their Tuscany trip over. I didn’t meet her as she is away for a few days, doing some sightseeing in Florida. And I leave to Puerto Rico tomorrow!

The house is amazing! Incredible. If you ever get to see the movie clip I made with my camera, ask for it. I can’t post it here on the blog. It has four bathrooms I guess. I am sleeping in one of the several guest rooms, with my own bathroom. They have a huge kitchen, a huge bar (inside and outside), a huge everything.. I think interior design stores love them.. Oh, you know the kind of house I’m talking about. You watch that show on MTV at times too. Crips or whatever it is called. It’s that kind of house. I love it. I really absolutely love this place. They have piano that they never use and a swimming pool. I wanted to take a dip but it’s too cold here. Yes, even in Miami it’s cold(er).

Billy is a Montana born artist from New York who still paints (I really like his portraits, not so much his flowers) and who made money in real estate. Hector is a Cuban born psychologist who also taught at the university of Miami. They are such a sweet couple. I had already mentioned them to a lot of people, because I assumed they had been together for 40 years. But I must have misunderstood. They know each other for 40 years, but didn’t become a couple until 20 years ago when both of their partners died. They are just so amazing together. It’s funny. It’s a typical couple though with one person being a bit more dominant and the other more easy. They do ‘fight’ at times, but they seem very happy together and they spoil me rotten. Hehe. Hector is 72 and Billy 66.

For my b-day they took me to this Australian steakhouse where I got a well done butterfly steak (they just cut the steak open so it’s thinner and has the shape of a butterfly). Very good steak! Then I got a b day cake with a very short b day song by the staff. Very kitsch and very American, like we do on the ships, but I actually liked it. Not so much the cake though, which was a typical US mix of brownies and cream. No candles. We talked until late at night at their inside ‘bar’ drinking Puerto Rican Bacardi rum (and that for a Cuban!). They are just a real interesting couple. I didn’t want to ask too many personal questions, but I couldn’t help asking some details. They didn’t mind.

Next day was actually real nice. First I slept quiet long, with day long comments as a result of course. Hector sounded like me dad, disapproving of my sleeping so long. Then we went to La Caretta, a Cuban joint where a had some beef stew with beans and rice. It was delicious! I couldn’t eat my plate again and felt very guilty as it was so good. But I didn’t ask a doggy bag. Then we had to rush (no time to digest the food) to a shopping mall where they had a theatre. Billy and Hector love movies and we went to see Notes Of A Scandal with Oscar nominees Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. I knew little of the movie. And it’s better if you do too, before you go see it. *** spoiler ahead *** I just thought it was a movie about a teacher having sex with one of her students. But it’s so much more. It’s basically about a lonely (lesbian?) spinster who’s obsessions for a new friendship is compulsive. It was a scary movie actually. I definitely recommend the movie!!!!

The rest of the day was more of the same. Another shopping mall and another one. Not sure why they wanted to take me to the malls, but it was fun. One mall is called the Falls mall and has some little artificial waterfalls. I guess that’s the only thing in West Miami close to a sightseeing. Still, I liked the whole day. Driving around Miami Dade County, looking at the houses, the typical billboard shops around the alternative highways. And I liked the company. I am happy to see that gay couples can grow up old together and be happy. I am also happy that Stevao sent me a birthday sms.