10 April 2024

A day of acclimation to the three-hour time difference & the turbulent Cleveland weather. The Pup & I spent the day walking & riding around the city for odds and ends.

Lunch at the Winking Lizard, pizza at Geraci’s Slice Shop, trips to Target and Home Depot, a voyage to find Sir a lighter; all culminated at a night at the Stallion for CLAWs wryly named, Dick Off Party.

We arrived early & watched the tented patio fill up; Leatherfolx, Pups, Kinksters from afar and down the way made their way in. I sat with my Pup & regarded the scene, cigar in hand.

As the tent filled so did the smoke until it was as if a smoke machine had been left to its own devices. 10PM arrived & announcements were made. Pup Trivia was the starter. The winner? My very own Pup Morado rightly guessing the year of the 1st Pup contest in London: 1992. The prize? A purple CLAW Frisbee & a $10 drink chip. It was a proud moment for both of us.

The night progressed, the beats were flowing & the urge to dance took hold. The Pup & I made our way to a corner of the dancefloor where I proceeded to dance my first steps after such a long hiatus. First, dancing in full kit; then, sloughing off my Leather shirt to dance barechested save for a Sam Brown belt over my right shoulder.

I recalled the feeling of freedom on the dancefloor; my gloved hands raised, my boots pounding the ground to the rhythm, my gaze raised to the mirrorball in adulation. I’d found a taste of youth, a sense of home in the music, the heat, the smoke & the sweat. Divas sang through remixed renditions, harnesses swayed, Leather shined & drinks flowed. This wasn’t a time for wistful wondering but for in-the-moment dancefloor mindfulness, a meditation on movement. I fell into the rhythm & danced without care.

As midnight closed in, the Leather shirt came back on, as did the Muir cap and Leather jacket. It was time to depart & leave the midnight moments to the generations to keep vigil over the night til last call.