I'm still shaking my head in amazement. Last weekend I had A 25-year fantasy come true concerning interracial sex. This West Coast Irishman had a lost weekend of uninhibited passion with an Asian Pearl; and I owe it all to technology and transportation.
My residence and office are in Corona, California. Corona is a small upscale community with a rural flavor dating to its past history of fruit orchards, wineries, and horse breeding. I moved there 5 years ago because I got tired of the over-populated L. A. scene. Although a good share of my clients are located in the San Fernando Valley some 100 plus miles away, the distance is no problem because my alarm company had the luxury of owning a small airplane. By air I'm only 35 minutes from San Fernando's Whiteman Airport where I keep an old 87 Ford pick-up for service calls. Had it not been for a dinged-Prop, I wouldn't have been riding the Metro-Link train bound for Los Angeles Union Station. And surely, I would have missed meeting my Asian Pearl, Cheryl Lee.
A few days earlier I had landed at Corona Airport and damaged the constant speed propeller on my Mooney Ranger. I love that little 4 place retractable-geared plane because she and I have logged many wonderful trips together. Due to my stupidity combined with a lack of proper airport maintenance I ran into a 'pot hole' while taxiing to the hangar. There's not much ground clearance from the big wide-arc of Miss Mooney's Propeller. When I hit the pot hole the front nose strut bottomed-out and WHAM. In 1/100th of a second the ensuing ground-strike of my birds propeller meant the engine would have to be 'torn down' inspected/repaired and a new Propeller installed. Total tag-a little over $12,000.00 and 2-3 weeks of downtime. Thank God for insurance!
The most economical way to get to my P/U truck and customers in San Fernando was via the Metro Link Train. Straight to Union Station, then onto San Fernando. The S.F. Station was only 5 minutes from my P/U truck which I could then drive back to Corona until the bird's beak was fixed. Total cost of the trip seven bucks, fantastic!
The trip was fun and relaxing. I was in the upper-deck overlooking the scenery from a much lower level than my usual 6,500 feet above ground level. At 7:00 p.m. at night the city lights were zipping past in a blurring string of colors. I had recently bought a new full-featured digital camera and I was screwing around with the camera's computerized menu and the complicated manual when a beautiful oriental lady got on the train in Claremont. Although it was not crowded that Friday evening, she took a seat directly across from mine because our seats had a worktable for the rider's convenience. She looked to be about 35 and approx. 5'6-7" and very slender. She was dressed in an expensive silk blouse and wide pleated skirt carrying a dark leather briefcase that she proceeded to lay on the small utility table between us. Her brief case was inches from my camera manual and we smiled briefly as I made more room on the table for her things. She opened her brief case and began reading from a folder and I went back to trying to figure out how to make the built-in flash work manually.
My new Digital Olympus was open (as was the manual) and I just couldn't get the camera computer menu to highlight the flash On/Off feature. Just as I found the solution the conductor asked for our tickets and I lowered the camera to my lap with one hand as I fumbled for my ticket with the other. When I began to lift the camera from my lap, the damn flash worked for the first time (manually) as I inadvertently hit the shutter release button. The ensuing flash startled Cheryl and her curious look alerted me to the fact that my actions were disturbing to her. It took me a few seconds to realize that the flash occurred under the table and directly across form her. Add the fact that the camera was at the same level as her skirt and you can see I had one inquisitive Asian female giving me 'The Look'.
Guys all know that look. A beautiful lady in a low-cut blouse bends down and our eyes become glued to the cleavage in her bosom. We then go to full 'Tit-Alert' and lock onto the target in the hopes of seeing a nipple (or anything resembling one). The lady then looks up with "The Look". Her look is one of such disgust and loathing as to make one feel as if he were a sexual pervert in the act of committing some gross sin. Well, I got a mild look and one eyebrow raised in a question mark (a lot like the Spock character in Star Trek).
I smiled and as I explained the what, how, and why of the flash she dropped the eyebrow and returned a most beautiful smile. "I thought you were trying to take a picture of my underwear," she said. And we both laughed and introduced ourselves. I knew (of course that she was Asian) but now I learned that Cheryl Lee was 1st generation Chinese and that her father was a Master Chief who had studied at the Imperial School of Cooking in Beijing China. She was a divorcee from a very unsatisfying 5-year marriage to an alcoholic who had been abusive. She recently graduated from a Computer Graphics Art school and was living alone and happy…but lonely. I told her a little about my business and my interest in photography and that the funny photo incident was due to my learning to use a camera I bought to take photos for my new website.