What follows was written by Mobile Reverend and included in the marriage ceremony of Christian and Rafi, a wonderful couple with whom he not only had the privilege of fulfilling the role of Wedding Officiant, but also with whom he holds the honor of being considered their friend. It is their story based on "homework assignments" they submitted. Mobile Reverend is in the habit of assigning homework to couples with whom he works, in part, as a way of building rapport which with Rafi and Christian is never a problem.
WHO KNOWS HOW MANY TIMES Oil Can Harry’s has functioned during its 45 years as a matchmaker but, I know as do many of you, that 13 years ago this past February 6th, albeit unbeknownst to them at the time Cowboy Cupid* fired off two arrows and Christian and Rafi were his intended targets. That was on a Thursday night and for the most part it was at that time, for them, just a matter of exchanging “Hellos”.
It took three more days for the amorous darts to work, so that by the time a Sunday Beer Bust came along, never mind that it was at another venue, RAFI and Christian were ready to fall prey to Love. Christian remembers they “met eyes and were smiling…” However, it was Rafi who took the lead, literally and asked the “cute blonde guy from Thursday… ‘What’s your name?’” The cute blonde guy responded “Christian.” Rafi then made the move and said, "Christian, let’s go dancing…” It was a Shadow and as a dance a shadow can be rather seductive and can arouse (shall we say?) certain passions. After the shadow, Christian recalls they “raced outside… for [their] first kiss!” Well, one thing proverbially led to another and Rafi ended up giving Christian a ride to his apartment and (ahem) coming inside. That might have been it for our would be lovers, but as fate would have it, Rafi left his pager at Christian’s and had to return for it the following day; reunited they ended up on a proper date. Rafi says they “went for dinner and… became a couple after that.”
Christian described what followed as “a week of dates”during which they discovered that they had shared a deep love for cats, had mutual friends, and that there were a number of times when they just missed meeting each other. But he explains, “I think it wasn’t time for us, I wasn’t ready for [Rafi's] strong love…” That is, he “wasn’t ready to receive it until…” Oil Can Harry’s Cowboy Cupid brought them together and as a result they “fell in love hard.”
It took three more days for the amorous darts to work, so that by the time a Sunday Beer Bust came along, never mind that it was at another venue, RAFI and Christian were ready to fall prey to Love. Christian remembers they “met eyes and were smiling…” However, it was Rafi who took the lead, literally and asked the “cute blonde guy from Thursday… ‘What’s your name?’” The cute blonde guy responded “Christian.” Rafi then made the move and said, "Christian, let’s go dancing…” It was a Shadow and as a dance a shadow can be rather seductive and can arouse (shall we say?) certain passions. After the shadow, Christian recalls they “raced outside… for [their] first kiss!” Well, one thing proverbially led to another and Rafi ended up giving Christian a ride to his apartment and (ahem) coming inside. That might have been it for our would be lovers, but as fate would have it, Rafi left his pager at Christian’s and had to return for it the following day; reunited they ended up on a proper date. Rafi says they “went for dinner and… became a couple after that.”
Christian described what followed as “a week of dates”during which they discovered that they had shared a deep love for cats, had mutual friends, and that there were a number of times when they just missed meeting each other. But he explains, “I think it wasn’t time for us, I wasn’t ready for [Rafi's] strong love…” That is, he “wasn’t ready to receive it until…” Oil Can Harry’s Cowboy Cupid brought them together and as a result they “fell in love hard.”
Rafi and Christian have since raised four beautiful cats together – three of whom com-plete their family unit now --Taylor, Bobby and JR. They have owned and sold houses where they’ve lived -- here, then Dallas and Chicago -- before the lure of Southern California and Oil Can Harry’s was too hard to resist. Christian put it this way, “…we started to feel homesick for our families and friends and Oil Can Harry’s so we came back home.” Their journey back to Southern California from Chicago came to be known as their “Big Adventure” and found them experiencing the fall colors in Vermont, Niagara Falls and Canada, it had them gazing up at Mt Rushmore and being stuck in a blizzard in Cheyenne, WY – all the while snapping photographs along the way.
Just a word about Oil Can Harry’s before closing. This particular place had already been in a sense a kind of home first to Christian, then Rafi. OCHarry's has provided for them on many levels, even work -- Christian asserts he was the best barmaid ever! But above all else OCHarry's has been a place where, not just Rafi and Christian, but many of us as well (as a particular group of people), have found acceptance, camaraderie and even family. Fortune truly smiled as
it turned out that Rafi and OCH were a perfect pairing. From the start of their relationship, Rafi loved the many OCH friends he now continues to share with Christian. And, this community loved Rafi in return… continues to love Christian and Rafi both in return.
To this day I never find it too difficult to know where the two are as all I have to do is follow the laughter… or the flash of a camera. Love, Laughter and Light
follow these two wherever they go!
Just a word about Oil Can Harry’s before closing. This particular place had already been in a sense a kind of home first to Christian, then Rafi. OCHarry's has provided for them on many levels, even work -- Christian asserts he was the best barmaid ever! But above all else OCHarry's has been a place where, not just Rafi and Christian, but many of us as well (as a particular group of people), have found acceptance, camaraderie and even family. Fortune truly smiled as
it turned out that Rafi and OCH were a perfect pairing. From the start of their relationship, Rafi loved the many OCH friends he now continues to share with Christian. And, this community loved Rafi in return… continues to love Christian and Rafi both in return.
To this day I never find it too difficult to know where the two are as all I have to do is follow the laughter… or the flash of a camera. Love, Laughter and Light
follow these two wherever they go!
* Oil Can Harry's features Country Line Dancing and Two-Stepping Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, as well as Sunday afternoons. Retro Disco reigns on Saturday nights.
Photo credits: Claudia DellaRipa, Christian Bock (posted by) and Barry Jones.
Photo credits: Claudia DellaRipa, Christian Bock (posted by) and Barry Jones.
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