RED CURRY SUMMER by Jacob Campbell.
‘Red Curry Summer’ is a bitter-sweet story that covers a lifetime of love that never died. Jacob Campbell immerses the reader in young love, poignant love, love where stolen moments under a clear sunny sky in a pine forest leave indelible memories. Love in a time when men were lonely, sex was everywhere, but romance was rationed. Against the backdrop of an internship at the mental health centre, we meet two young professionals in their twenties. Falling for one another, they experience a summer which is hot in every respect. Attraction leads to desire, but the all-too-common scenario of outside forces pulling against love itself is ever present. Expectations of deeper love linger in an era before cell phones and social media; a time when feedback was never instant. A lover had to endure the agony of waiting, hoping, wondering. Were his feelings reciprocated? Was the bond he felt real or imagined? Maybe their ‘last’ encounter could mean just that. Campbell relieves the tension of apprehension with the healing symbolism of the gay baths and anonymous encounters which remove the sting of loss in love. The contrast between aspiration and reality is ably drawn to show how misplaced hope or desperate longing can cause distortion in one's perceptions. In itself, the story highlights the short, sharp fragility of some gay relationships, conveying what can happen when two men are socially pushed together then quickly torn apart by the demands of everyday life. In an unexpected twist, an epilogue brings the story into focus a lifetime later. This is where the truth in the story makes a difference and its full impact. Campbell's writing is real. It deserves to be read. 'Red Curry Summer' is a novella, ideal for those who enjoy the intensity of reading a short story in one sitting. EXCERPT
“Curry, you are so tender and make me feel so happy when you touch me.” “It’s the same for me,” Curry said. This grabbed my attention like a vice, but then he stopped talking. I wanted to know more. “Do you feel what I’m feeling?” I asked. “Like a tenderness and fire that is so electric, like something shooting through my nerves ... something good and special?” “Woo hoo,” he said loudly as he let me fall from his mouth for a second, but then he continued. I was impatient to find out more how he felt because it seemed to me that my heart was totally into this. **** I so wanted something to develop between us now, and secretly I was interested in doing what I could to derail his departure for New Orleans, or to find a way to go with him there. “Okay then, that gives us Saturday we can go out to Red Dirt. I’ll pack a picnic and we can hunt for arrowheads and go swimming in the waterfall. It’s a great place and nobody is ever out there.” “Red Dirt? Okay, it’s a date.” “Okay!” He seemed animated suddenly at the thought of a picnic day. This moved me deeply. I felt he cared about me, about us. **** I smoked a joint and rolled several for the evening and then dropped the tab of acid that was supposed to be really mellow “sunshine” and it turned out to be an ecstatic kind of experience and I felt a lot of love. A lot of feelings of grandiose magnanimous affection and caring for every creature in the world seemed to emanate from somewhere in my solar plexus. When Curry arrived I was more than ready for him. In the darkened apartment, curtains all closed, I had candles lit and the Moody blues were playing in the background his favorite song “Knights in White Satin" and the aroma of red curry and sandalwood incense filled the apartment. I had everything in the oven on warm. "Come on in,” I said to Curry and as I shut the door behind him I threw my arms around him, and he kissed me and I kissed him. There was a moment of blissful unification that I experienced. Sunshine was rushing through my system, and I was feeling most intensely each touch, each emotion, each tiny thing as though everything were processed through some kind of life amplification system. Curry was carrying his knapsack with his overnight stuff with him and in one hand he had a blue foil box that was gift wrapped with a red ribbon. I was very curious but I said nothing and I indicated for him to put it down on the table over in the corner by the books shelf. That's when he noticed the gift wrapped boxes for himself. We had our dinner by candlelight and then we sat on the sofa and kissed and cuddled. There was no motion to go into the bedroom to have sex. Not yet. Available Formats
E-Book EPUB (Open eBook / Nook) HTML (Firefox / IE / Web) MOBI (Amazon Kindle) PDF (Adobe Reader) PRC (Mobipocket)
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