Love is in the air. Even the most cynical of us who publicly curse the day of St. Valentine, I’m sure feel a bit of warmth when no one is looking. Valentine’s Day was always a happy day in our family, a day of celebration. After all, it was the day Daddy proposed to Mama, and every year since then he brings her flowers and a box of chocolates.
Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates. No, wait. She didn’t. That was Forrest Gump’s Mama. My Mama had some good advice, though. Never go to bed angry, never be afraid to say I love you and if you ever want to meet a good man always start at the gay bar. After all, that is where she met Daddy.
It was 1977 in Colorado Springs, Colo. “Dancing Queen” and “Hotel California” were a couple of the hits playing on the Jukebox. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Pete’s Dragon were playing at the drive-ins, and a then-unknown Meryl Streep had just made her big screen debut in the film Julia.
Mama worked the overnight shift at a local, late-night eatery. After the bars closed at 2 o’clock, the place filled up with rednecks, hookers and drag queens. Mama became good friends with the queens. Nearly every night they’d all come in led by Mama’s two favorites, Bubbles and Nikki Lee.
When they came in Mama would give them all big hugs and chat up how the night went. Eventually Mama’s homophobic manager got tired of her being friendly with them and gave her an ultimatum: she could stop being friendly with the queens or she could find a new job. Mama chose the queens.
As she was walking out she said good-bye to Bubbles and Nikki Lee, gave them her phone number and told them what happened. Needless to say a scene was made and every queen got up and walked out.
Now that Mama had her nights free Bubbles and Nikki Lee invited her down to The Boxcar, the bar where they all worked. It became Mama’s home away from home. That first night she went there with my grandparents— an open-minded Italian couple originally from New York City.
The queens became family. They would come to the house regularly for dinner, even spending Christmas with Mama and her family; and Mama became family to the queens.
Daddy was connected to The Boxcar through Raymond, the owner. Raymond’s best friend and roommate was a guy named Frank. Frank and Daddy went back to their days in the U.S. Air Force. Daddy was one of the first guys Frank came out to and Daddy, being the free loving hippy he was, didn’t care.
Both of them were out of the service by 1977, and Daddy—who recently split up with his first wife— needed a place to stay. Raymond and Frank opened their home to him.
This brings us to the night they met. Daddy came by The Boxcar to get a spare key from Raymond. That’s when the boys at the bar began to hatch a plan. Mama was young, straight and single. Daddy was young, straight and newly single. Let’s get these two crazy kids together.
They convinced Daddy to hang out for a few drinks. Then, they called Mama and asked her to come down to the bar. She obliged.
It was a slow night when she got there, only two or three people on the dancefloor. Off at one of the tables, by the cigarette machine, was Daddy.
Tommy, the DJ that night, told the bartender to take a drink to Mama and say it was from Daddy. Mama went over to thank him for the drink, but in classic sitcom style, Tommy hadn’t let Daddy know the plan.
“Thank you very much,” Mama said, raising the drink slightly. Daddy looked at her. “Um, you’re welcome,” he said.
After a moment of awkward silence Mama walked away. “He’s weird,” she thought to herself.
As Tommy caught Daddy up to speed, Mama moved to the dance floor and dropped her drink. Daddy came over, laughing. “I didn’t buy you that drink, but I would like to buy you one now,” he said.
Bam, love at second sight. Mama and Daddy hung out all night. They played pool, had a few drinks and had their first dance to Rita Coolidge’s “We’re All Alone.” When the bar closed they went to breakfast and they have been together ever since. This Valentine’s Day will be 40 years since Daddy proposed to Mama.
See, good stories of true love can always be found at the gay bar. That’s what we are bringing you in this issue. We have 10 of Central Florida and Tampa Bay’s most eligible singles looking for a little romance and a good story. We have a few other good stories for you in this issue. A chat with Aaron Carter, who is dropping is first album in 15 years on Valentine’s Day. We also check in with the team behind the Shakespeare Theater’s show The Bigot.
Enjoy your Valentine’s Day, and to all my fellow singles out there hitting the clubs remember listen to the queens. They always know best.
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