Holding hands in Singapore
Young love in Singapore is not obvious to the pedestrian eye. Acts of intimacy, like holding hands and kissing, are typically expressed in the privacy of bedrooms, darkened movie theatres or parks. Seldom it is to witness displays of affection, even less common is to see a gay couple in public being, well, gay.
So when I read today in a friend’s blog about two gay men being affectionate on the subway, it made me smile. It reminded me of the time Rusty was in town a few months ago. It was his second trip to Singapore, right before we went on our vacation to Thailand and Laos. He had already lost his hair then, but he was still able to keep his weight steady.
That afternoon, we were walking through the main square of a shopping mall. It wasn’t crowded, but more people had begun streaming in from the thickening heat outside. I was so happy just to be with him, doing normal things like window shopping and arguing about ice cream (Is Rocky Road a real flavor? Yes). On a whim, I said: “You know what would make this moment perfect? If we could hold hands and walk down this row of shops together.”
Usually, Rusty is not one to be affectionate in public. So I did not expect it when I felt his larger hand take mine in a firm grip. Without a word, we walked, our hands undivided, through the crowd and their wandering eyes, right to the cinema, where we had tickets to watch Russian Dolls.