Winston was came down to Hampton Roads from Washington, D.C. train.
"Not how I remember it," he said after I picked him up.
We drove around Norfolk a bit to show off the sights.
"I don't remember Norfolk being so lit up, so vivid and colorful. It's definitely changed a bit over the years."
The 56-year-old Department of Justice employee was a debonair man in his travels, donning his Ralph Lauren-branded, long sleeved shirt with matching cufflinks, dark colored trouser and an aromatic splash of cologne. Winston's photos did him no justice as he was clean shaven, with a pair of beautiful, hazel eyes and soft lips that I craved to kiss. He barely looked my way while I drove us through the downtown area, seeing the buildings and clean sidewalks before his eyes widened when he saw the waterfront.
"That big old tower over there. That a hospital," he asked of the Renaissance Hotel across the river in Portsmouth.
I corrected him before we drove over to a nearby garage across from the Wisconsin battleship, with me parking, then us walking a bit to cross the street and follow the path parallel to the river.
"That hospital you speak of is that way," I told him while pointing north on the Portsmouth side.
He stood there in amazement, while I reminded him of what he had where he lived.
"I mean, you guys have the harbor in D.C."
"We absolutely do, but this here is something spectacular in itself," he'd say.
He explained further why he was touched by the scenery, the scent, and the overall ambience of the mixed use landscape of this tract of the Elizabeth River.
"This explains so much with your stories now," he mentioned. "Some of the things you write about, come from this very place here."
He was partially right as I'm a native of the Hampton Roads region, and often touch base on what I see on the daily, jotting down things and turning it into a selection.
"Now if you could only translate these scenes a little better," he said.
He was standing to my right eyeing the paddle ferry crossing our way from Portsmouth, and I looked at him, and his slight smile as he stood on what was said.
"You didn't come down here to criticize," I asked.
"Absolutely not. But I'm a fan of your writing, black man, and I want to see you do great things," he stated.
"You just wanna fuck....black man," I said to him.
He laughed.
"My words sting a little bit," he asked as he looked at me.
We turned around and walked briskly as we were ready to get down and dirty.