Everything New

The next twelve hours flew by. I had already slept, finished packing, called George to tell him the news, and had breakfast with Henri and JJ. Nervously, I was now was sitting on a Montreal bound plane ready to start everything new. JJ used his charm to upgrade my coach ticket to one in business class right next to him.

During the 90 minute flight, JJ gave me a crash course in the optical business. I learned about contact lenses, prescriptions, frames, lens materials, and more. JJ is such a good teacher. He told me that I was a good student and couldn't wait for me to start working. We agreed that tomorrow would be my first day. Before I knew it, we were landing at Dorval Airport.

George was waiting for me at the airport. He was sitting and talking with JJ's partner Claude and his son Jean-Luc. God, George looked so handsome in his new rimless glasses, which incidentally, he purchased from JJ's shop. Claude initiated their conversation by noticing that they had identical glasses. Once the name of the shop was mentioned, their converstaion flowed and flowed.

George hugged and kissed me as he never had before. JJ and Claude had a similar moment. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder. After the introductions had been made, JJ asked me if I wanted to see the optical shop. Off to the shop we went. JJ gave me a quick tour and quized me. I passed with flying colors.

Jean-Luc took a liking to George and me and asked Claude "Papa, could Chris and George come over for dinner?" Claude replied "That is up to them. Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?" I thanked Jean-Luc for his invite and asked if we could do it another night since we had already planned on spending our first night alone. He understood and said "OK Papa, then when?"

"How about Friday night?" Claude asked "It will be a nice ending to the work week and you, my son, can stay up late."

We all agreed on Friday. George and I left and went back to George's apartment, I mean OUR apartment, and made mad, passionate, love. George insisted on wearing his glasses the whole time. He has had two prescription changes since moving to Montreal and has become quite dependent on his glasses. I didn't mind the glasses during sex. In fact, I found them to be rather erotic - especially when he put them on my face and kissed me. For an instant I remembered the Casey kiss but knew I had to erase it from my mind.

At about 7PM I said to George: "Hey handsome, how about you and me have some dinner at the best restaurant in Montreal - my treat"

"Sure!" George said with a smile "I know just the place!"

We washed up and got ready for dinner. We strolled along Rue Sainte Catherine looking at the shops and bars as we walked to George's favorite restaurant. "I think you're going to like this place." George said "The food is great. The service is great. And it reminds of the bistro. The new manager even reminds me of your old boss Henri. Speaking of the devil.."

"Bonjour Monsieur George, table for two tonight?" Pierre asked.

"Yes Pierre. It will be a table for two from now on." George said "I would like you to meet Chris, the love of my life. Chris just moved here from New York City"

"Welcome to Montreal!" Pierre said "I am sure you will love it as much as I love New York City. My cousin Henri owns a bistro there. I go to visit him about once a year. New York is magnifique."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. What were the odds of his Henri and mine being one in the same? I had to ask. "I was wondering, um, if by chance, your cousin Henri's last name is LaFleur."

Pierre lit up like a Christmas tree "YES! I can't believe that you know him."

"He's the best! I worked for Henri for five years." I said "He mentioned having cousins here, but never mentioned anyone in the restaurant industry."

"Actually, he doesn't know about this job. I just started here." Pierre said "If you worked for Henri for five years, you must be good. Are you looking for a job? We are hiring."

I thanked Pierre and told him about my job to which he replied: "I know Dr. Patel very well. He has been prescribing my glasses and contact lenses for years. He's a very nice man...Let me show you your table."

Dinner was wonderful and the waiter was so cute - spikey blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. While we were having dessert, my cell phone rang. I recognized the incoming number - the bistro's - and figured it must be Lee or Casey.

"Bonjour!" I said as I answered it. "Bonjour Chris, I hope my cousin Pierre is taking good care of you." the voice on the other end said.

I replied: "Yes Henri, he is!...and let me tell you about the eye candy. I am sitting here with the most handsome man in Montreal and the waiter and manager are tied for second place."

Henri replied "I cannot speak for the waiter, but Pierre's good looks have broken a few hearts. That's for sure. I remember the day he switched from wearing spectacles to wearing the contact lenses. It is quite a funny story that you should ask him about when you get to know him better. I am laughing out loud just thinking about it."

"I definitely will... and Henri, thanks for everything you've done for me. Oh, George says hi, and is blowing you a kiss. Tomorrow's the big day. I start my new job. I'm so nervous."

"There is no need to be nervous." Henri assured me "You are wonderful. Jean-Jacques is wonderful. I am sure you will do great. Enjoy the rest of your dinner and we will talk soon. Yes?"

"OK Henri" I said "Say hello to everyone. I'll call you next weekend. B-bye"

As I flipped my phone closed, Pierre approached our table with a big smile "Sorry if I embarrassed you by having Henri call you"

"No, thanks for calling him. Henri's a sweetheart. He could never embarrass me."

"He said many good things about you also" Pierre said "How was everything?"

"Everything was perfect. Thanks." I said "I will take the check."

"Actually, there is no check." Pierre said "Henri has paid it."

"OK" I said with a laugh "Now I'm embarrassed. That Henri is too much."

"Yes he is" Pierre said "You should see how generous his tip was."

George, Pierre, and I had a good laugh. As we got up from the table, the waiter thanked us, wished us a good night, and asked if we needed him to call a cab for us.

George asked if I wanted to take a cab. I told him that I'd like to walk and so we did. After walking just a few blocks, I wished I had worn the parka that Casey gave me. Brrr! Montreal is cold. George put his arm around me to warm me up as he hailed a cab with his other hand. We were home in a few minutes and opened a bottle of champagne. George set the alarm for 6AM. I slept like a baby in his arms.

George wanted to be in the office for 7AM to get a head start on the week. I didn't have to be at the optical shop until 10AM but wanted to unpack a few things including the parka. I unzipped the parka's garment bag and tried the coat on. It fit perfectly. I loved all the pockets it had.

As I checked out the pockets I was surprised to find a ski lift pass in one pocket and a pair of sunglasses in another - both of which I placed on the kitchen table as I continued to check out the other pockets. I took off the coat and looked at the sunglasses which were no ordinary sunglasses. These were heavy duty prescription sunglasses. I tried them on and thought to myself "I bet these are Kim's" and decided to call Casey.

"Hi, this is Casey!"

"Casey, who's your favorite Canadian?" I asked

"KD Lang!"

"No, guess again!"

"That guy from the Barenaked Ladies?"

"No, guess again."

"Pamela Anderson?"

"I didn't know Pamela Anderson was Canadian. No, it's me Chris" I said.

"I knew it was you" Casey said "What's up?"

"I'm starting my new job in a few hours and I was just unpacking a few things starting with that parka. Thanks! It fits perfectly. Just wanted to let you know that I found a pair of sunglasses in the pocket that I think are Kim's"

"Do they have blue lenses that are about 3/4" thick?" Casey asked

"Yes, that's them."

"That little shit!" Casey said laughing "I don't feel so bad now."

"Feel bad about what?" I asked

"Saturday night Kim got home at about 2AM and freaked out because you and I had played with those glasses and then I left them on my desk instead of on the sink. At least I fessed up to it." Casey said "I can't believe that, that little shit, wore my parka, without asking. It was probably to go skiing. I remember Kim losing those sunglasses a while ago...Chris, sorry to be rambling.."

"It's OK" I said "You're right about the skiing part - there was also a ski lift pass in one pocket. What should I do with the sunglasses?"

"I'm not sure yet" Casey replied "Hang on to them for now...Oh shit...I have another call coming through...can we talk this weekend?"

"Sure! Love you!" I said

"I turned on the stereo, put Kim's sunglasses on my face, and danced and spun around the apartment but soon got dizzy. I guess it was a combination of the glasses and the spinning.

Before long, I was walking out the door ready to start my new job. JJ and I arrived at the optical shop at the same time - 9:45AM.

"I'll brew some coffee." JJ said "Please wander around the shop, touch things, learn where everything is. Mondays are generally slow. Marie and Adonis will be here soon. Oops, I spoke too soon, there they are now."

"Bonjour!" Marie and Adonis said as they walked in.

"Chris, I would like you to meet Adonis our optician and technician who grinds the lenses; and Marie, who you will be replacing - not that anyone could ever replace her" JJ said as he introduced us. He then pointed to Marie's pregnant stomach and said "and these are the twins. Adonis and Marie met here. I was the bestman at their wedding and now I am going to be a godfather...I will finish making the coffee"

"Great JJ! I brought a little surprise to have with our coffee" Marie said as she unwrapped a plate "My sisters gave me a little baby shower yesterday and I brought some leftover cake. Chris, have you ever had Mille Feuilles?"

JJ and I laughed

"What is so funny?" Marie asked

"Not only is Mille Feuilles my favorite dessert but it is Chris' favorite also but in New York it is called Napoleon cake." JJ explained "Do you you feel at home yet, Chris?"

"Yes!" I said with a lump in my throat "Yes, I do"

After coffee, Marie showed me the computer system and Adonis showed me how to tighten eyeglass frames, check a prescription, and how to replace the nylon filament which holds lenses in rimless frames. In a few hours, the latter certainly came in handy with the first customer that I waited on alone. Until then, I pretty much observed Marie.

Since it was slower than a normally slow Monday, JJ told Adonis and Marie to have lunch together as he felt I could handle the shop for an hour. Besides, JJ was in his office, examining a patient and told me to knock on his door if I had any questions or problems. Adonis and Marie were not gone for more than 2 minutes when I got my first customer.

Two young man - about 19 years old - entered the shop. One of them was wearing glasses that had one lens being held in the frame with tape. His friend placed some money into his hand, kissed him, and said: "I'm really sorry. Are you going to be OK?" The man in the glasses seemed reluctant about taking the money but assured him that he was fine. His friend left.

Shyly the guy in the glasses approached me and said: "Hi, I am really embarrassed about this...but...as you can see, I broke my glasses..."

"Please have a seat" I said "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Glasses break - may I see them..." I said as I lifted the glasses from his face "I'm going to remove the tape to inspect the damage...Are you OK?"

"I guess I'm kind of embarrassed about how it happened." He said

"I'm sorry if this is not my business, but did that boy break your glasses violently?" I asked

He smiled and said "No, I don't think he would hurt a fly. Last night was our third date - our fourth, if you count the night we met...the first few dates we just kissed goodnight. I really like him. Last night, I asked him to come back to my dorm - if you know what I mean. We were undressing and when he took my t-shirt off, my glasses flew off, fell on the floor, and broke. He feels really bad and gave me money to buy new ones but I know it wasn't his fault."

"There's no damage to the lens, I can repair these for you in a few minutes" I said

"Really!" he said "That's great! I don't have another pair here at school."

"I'll be right back" I said as I walked to Adonis' workbench and replaced the nylon filament. Two minutes later I was placing the glasses on his face. "Here they are. Good as new. Are you still emabarrassed?"

"Only about how much I need my glasses to see" He said "I really like this boy and don't want him to not like me if he finds out how much I really need glasses. I'm glad they broke in my dorm where I know my way around."

"Has he ever asked you not to wear your glasses?" "No."

"Has he ever taken them away from you?" "No."

"Does he take them off you when you kiss?"

"No. I think he likes the way they rub against his face."

"Has he ever suggested that you should wear contacts?"

"No."

"Did he feel bad about them breaking?"

"Yes."

"I don't think you have to worry. I think he likes you - glasses and all." I said. I then asked "May I see your glasses again? I want to check your prescription" I checked it and when I returned told him "With your prescription I would recommend having a back up pair. Can I show you the perfect frame for you?"

"Sure" he said

"Check these out" I said as I twisted a pair of frames in my hand "These are virtually indestructable. Athletes love them. Dads with small children love them."

"Do sexually active college guys love them?" he asked, with a smile, as he tried on the frame "How do they look, I can't really tell."

I said "Let me put it this way - your boyfriend may not be able to wait until he gets to the dorm room. They look really nice"

"Great! I'll take them" He said.

"The man who grinds the lenses is at lunch" I said "but I can have these for you in about 2 hours." We finished filling out the paperwork and he paid me. My first sale. I felt pretty good.

Shortly after he left, JJ and his patient exited the office. "John, this is Chris who will be helping you. You are in very good hands. Chris, here are John's glasses and contact prescriptions. I'll be in my office, if you have any questions. By the way, John already has a frame with him."

I looked at the prescriptions, noticed a discrepancy, and before JJ was in his office I said to him "I think one of these might be wrong. The contact lenses are plus and the glasses prescription calls for minus"

"Actually the prescriptions are correct." JJ replied "I'm sorry for not explaining it. John is an actor and is going to be playing the role of American writer Stephen King in a film. The plus contacts will make John's vision extremely shortsighted and the minus glasses will correct it and look more realistic than phoney glasses you see in the movies. Anyone who has ever seen Stephen King knows that his glasses are quite strong"

"They certainly are" I said "Is -12 really his prescription?"

John replied "We are not 100 percent sure. Mr. King has been very supportive of this project but does not like to talk about his vision. He would not tell us his actual prescription but asked that the actor playing him - that's me - not wear fake looking glasses. Dr Patel guestimated on the prescription based on photos."

JJ excused himself and said "Chris, if you haven't made lunch plans yet, would you like to join my friend CC and me? CC should be on her way. By the time you finish up with John, Marie and Adonis should be here too.

I accepted JJ's lunch invite and told him that I would let him know when his friend arrived.

"John, why don't you have a seat and pull out the frames while I fetch the contacts." I returned with the contacts and told him "I have some clear ones but will have to order the blue-grey lenses. Will clear lenses work for your rehearsals until the colored ones come in?"

"They'll be fine" John said "We don't start filming for another three weeks and like all the roles I play, I am planning to totally emerse myself in this one. I'm planning to wear the contacts and glasses 24/7 from now until the completion of the film."

"Really?" I asked "That's what I call acting. Dr. Patel has recommended CR39 plastic as the lens material. The lenses in this big frame will be quite thick. Have you considered a smaller, more stylish frame for everyday wear while you are off the set?"

John thought that was a great idea and said "This film has a really big budget. I know that the producers will not mind if I get a few pairs of glasses. Sure let's look at frames."

"I have an idea." I said "How about if I pick out a stylish frame for you and then you put the contacts in and pick out another frame from the perspective of having broken your glasses and had to pick a new pair without correction."

"I like the way you think Chris." He replied "This is the first time I have ever had fun at the doctors"

In about ten minutes, we had selected the frames and completed the paperwork. While John removed his contacts, I told him that I could have all three pairs of glasses by 5PM. He told me to expect him at 5:01.

As John left, he held the door open for a pretty lady who was entering the store carrying two gift bags. She looked familiar but I figured she just have been someone that George and I passed by last night.

"Bonjour. I am here to meet with Jean-Jacques." she said

"You must be CC. He is expecting you. By the way, I'm Chris"

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she said "There is no need to rush the doctor. Is Marie here? I have some presents for her babies"

"She's due back anytime now." I said as I opened the door and shouted to Marie and Adonis who were crossing the street "Hey you two! Hurry up! There's someone here bearing gifts"

Adonis and Marie ran into the shop and hugged and kissed CC.

"Marie! Adonis! Congratulations! When are you due?" CC asked

"Six more weeks." Marie replied "How are you? How is Rene? How is the baby?"

"Rene is so healthy, thank God." CC said "And the baby...Oh my God...Rene-Charles is now 3 and can outrun me. I think he's going to be a track star. Oh, by the way, these are for you. They are blankets. My mother knitted them for you. And I made you a CD of lullabys."

Marie cried. "You're so thoughful. Thanks!"

"You're very welcome." CC said.

JJ emerged from his office, hugged, and kissed CC and said "I have asked Chris to join us. I hope you are both hungry. Are you ready Chris?"

"Just let me give these to Adonis." I said as I handed him the orders.

"YOU SOLD FOUR PAIRS OF GLASSES IN ONE HOUR?" Adonis asked in astonishment

"Yes, but it was only to two customers" I said.

"Well done Chris." Marie said "Enjoy your lunch. All that selling must have made you hungry."

CC, JJ, and I left and walked to a cute Italian restaurant two doors down from the shop. The food was simple but good. We had a wonderful time despite the few stares from other customers. As we were leaving the restaurant, the young man who had broken his glasses walked by enroute to the shop and stopped when he saw me.

"Hi! I hope my glasses are ready." he said

I told CC how nice it was to meet her and excused myself as I walked to the shop with my young customer. JJ walked CC to her car.

"Please have a seat. I will check on your glasses. Here they are." I said as I twisted them in half to show him their durability. "Let me take those off....and place these on...they look great! How do they feel?"

He looked in the mirror and said "They feel as good as they look. Thanks for recommending them"

"Your welcome" I said "Let me just polish them up for you and get you a hard case...Here you go. Thank you for your business and please don't hesitate to stop by if you need an adjustment or anything else."

Marie told me that while I was at lunch she had received a delivery of contact lenses and wanted to unpack them and restock them in the back room. She asked me to "mind the store" and to keep up the good work.

A few minutes later JJ came in smiling and gave Adonis and me each an envelope and said "CC would like us all to be her guests for the Juno Awards, Chris that is our version of your Grammy Awards"

"That's why she looked so familiar" I said "It's all coming back to me now - no pun intended...CC is Celine Dion..How do you know her?"

"Her husband Rene was my manager years ago when I was considering a music career" JJ said "we have been friends for over 25 years"

I thanked JJ as he walked toward the door to hold it open for a customer in a wheel chair who was approaching the shop. "Thanks Dr. Patel" the man said as he rolled in. He pushed his glasses up using his shoulder and said "I hope you can give these glasses an adjustment. They keep sliding down my nose."

"I will leave Chris to help you with that." JJ said "Please say hello to your dad for me."

"Let me move this chair so you can roll yourself in" I said and then reached over and felt behind his ears. "These temples seem to be the right length." I said as I removed his glasses "Wow! These are heavy. I think the lenses are glass. That weighs them down too and your nose is really red from the weight. Let me tighten them. I'll be right back"

I returned a few minutes later and placed the glasses on his face and said "Much better. But I don't think this adjustment is going to last too long. My suggestion would be to have lighter weight plastic lenses and cable temples."

"Do you have some that you can show me?" he asked

"Sure!" I said "I'll be right back with a few...what do you think of these three?"

He tried on the smallest pair and brought his face to within a couple of inches from the mirror and said "I like these. They look good and they fit nice and tight"

I felt behind the ears and also tugged on them "These are not going anywhere...and the lens size is small enough that they will be fairly thin and light. Should I have them made up?"

"Please do." He said "Do you think that they will be ready today? I have some other errands to run in the neighborhood."

I checked with Adonis who was finishing up the last of John's three pairs. He told me that he could have them ready at 4PM. The customer was happy and agreed to come back then. I held the door open for him as he left.

Just then, the cute waiter from last night walked in. "Bonjour!" I said with a big smile.

"Hi." he said rather aloofly

"You don't remember me, do you? I asked

"Sorry. But no, I don't" he replied

"You were my waiter last night. My boyfriend and I had dinner, remember?"

He smiled and said "I'm sorry...that was my brother Gunnar, he's the waiter...we're identical twins. My name is Guillermo"

"I'm Chris" I said "Gunnar and Guillermo are an uncommon pairing of names, huh?"

"That's what happens when you're born to an Ecuadorian father and a Swedish mother" He chuckled

"It's a combination that works" I said "You're both very handsome but I'm sure you didn't come here to hear that. What can I do for you today."

"Thank you." he blushed "I need some contacts but I forgot to bring my prescription. Doctor Patel should have it on file"

He gave me his last name and I pulled out both his and his brother's files.

"I've got the prescription" I said "Both of your eyes are the same prescription -6.25 with no astigmatism. How many lenses do you want? I can give you a better price if you buy them in multiples of 6"

"I'll take 12 lenses." he said

I asked "Does your brother need any lenses today?"

"We live together. He can have some of these. His prescription is the same as mine"

I looked at Gunnar's file and said "Wow! You're right. How about your glasses? Can I show you any frames today? We just got some beautiful frames from an up and coming new designer. I have a pair the exact color of your eyes...Let me show you...here"

Guillermo put them on, looked in the mirror, and said "You know, it's funny to see myself in glasses, but these are really nice. What do you think, Chris?"

I told him "I'm not just saying this to make a sale, but they look like they were designed just for you."

"At the risk of sounding like the shallow and conceited 21 year old that I am, I agree. I'll take them. Will I need an exam?"

"No." I said "Dr. Patel always does both exams for contacts and for glasses. Your last exam is current. It was just two months ago. I have your glasses prescription right here. It's -7 with no astigmatism" I looked at the clock and said "I'll have to check with my lab technician but I don't think I can have these for you tonight. Will that be a problem?"

"There's no rush. I haven't had glasses since I was 16. Gunnar and I begged our parents for contacts and for our birthday, they finally gave in. I'll be in this neighborhood again on Friday when I have to go to work. I can pick the glasses up then."

"What kind of work do you do?" I asked

With a bit of hesitation he said "Well, I'm a dancer, at a bar here in the Gay Village. Basically, I'm a stripper. I take my clothes off for men. Funny thing is - I'm straight. I used to dance on the other side of Sainte Catherine for women until one of my friends at university told me that gay men are better tippers. I keep telling my brother to join us but he feels funny about the idea. I make more money on my one night dancing than he does working four nights as a waiter."

"Sounds like a fun job...but, getting back to your glasses" I said "If you want to pick them up on Friday, that will be fine but they'll be ready by late tomorrow morning."

"Fine."

"When you see your brother, tell him that the two customers who talked with Pierre alot, say hi."

"OK. I will. Thanks for all your help." He said and left

I took the frame and prescription to Adonis who said "You are one selling machine. Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

"Never. I swear to God" I replied "I'm just using the same upselling principals that I used when serving food. At the bistro I always sold more appetizers, desserts, and after dinner drinks than the others."

"Well, you're doing great" Adonis said

"Adonis, thanks for the encouragement. I've got to go" I said as I saw the man in the wheelchair returning "I'll take these." I picked up his finished glasses.

"I hope you finished your errands" I said "You certainly have enough bags"

"Yes, I bought everything I need for the Montreal Marathon." he said "It's many months away but I'm training for it. My specially designed wheelchair should be ready this week. I am really psyched."

I removed his glasses and placed the new cable temple pair on him. "Now you have one more thing to be psyched about." I said "These should stay in place for the whole race."

He shook his head and said "Thanks. These fit really well. They're even going to stay on when I sleep."

I was confused by this statement and asked him what he meant.

"Because my eyes are so bad, I even sleep in my glasses. I started doing this years ago, before my accident" he explained "When I was a teenager, I would sleep in my glasses if I stayed at a friend's house. Then I started doing it at home."

"Do they ever fall off during the night when you switch sleep positions?" I asked

"Very rarely." He said "They used to fall off more often but since my accident, I can't change sleep positions like I used to." He smiled and continued "But a few weeks ago, something funny happened. I was over my trainer's house. We had a few drinks to celebrate my marathon decision. I slept on his couch. I woke up when the rising sun hit my face. It felt good but I was not really sure where I was and my glasses were not on my face. I felt around and couldn't find them. I panicked a little. My wheelchair was right next to the couch but I didn't want to take the chance of getting in it and possibly running over the glasses if they were on the floor. My friend was sleeping in his room. It took a while for him to hear my calls. Finally he ran in. He thought that I had hurt myself. I asked him to help me find my glasses. He picked them up off the coffee table that had been moved across the room to make room for my wheel chair."

He continued to explain how his trainer had taken his glasses off his face for fear that they would get broken.

"He asked me if he could try on my glasses" He said "Only after he tried them on, did he realize how strong they were. He appologized and promised never to take them off my face again. I forgave him."

"That's a great story." I said. I then asked if he needed anything else before we completed our transaction.

The phone rang. Marie answered it in the back room and paged me: "Chris, you have a call on line 2."

"Bonjour, this is Chris" I said expecting it to be George

"Hi Chris, it's John - the Stephen King actor, how are you?" the voice on the other end said

"I'm fine and if you're checking on your glasses, they are ready." I said

"Actually my agent just called me about an audition for a beer commercial. Sorry. Can I come by tomorrow morning instead?" He asked

"No problem." I said "We open at 10AM, come by anytime and good luck."

"You mean 'Break a leg'!" He exclaimed

"Excuse me?" I asked

"Break a leg. It means good luck to an actor." he explained.

"OK John, I'll see you tomorrow, break a leg!"

The rest of the day flew by as I unpacked the new frames that JJ had brought from New York. Before I knew it, we were closing up shop for the night.

TO BE CONTINUED