The Three Mannys

I always had a thing for guys named Manny and it all started with:

Manny #1: I was in high school and my dad was begging me to have a hobby. I also wanted more things to put on my college application. I've always had a fascination with martial arts so I tried a Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Karate. I didn't enjoy any of them. My mom had a friend who did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I should try at her studio. I went in and actually really loved it. I was really quiet and shy and only practiced with Dee (my mom's friend). One day Dee didn't show up. I had never even had kissed a boy, so very much a virgin. Dee and I were the only girls in  the studio. I had to get over quick being super close to a boy. I had been at the studio for awhile and then I finally saw him. He was tall about six feet and very tan. He wasn't weaning a shirt under his Gi, you could easily see his muscle definition. His face was soft: faint eyebrows, almond dark brown eyes, and remote blushed cheeks, He had a small soul patch and cauliflower ears from wrestling in high school. At the time I thought he was the most beautiful man I laid eyes on. (still pretty up there) I kept my school crush hidden for awhile. I admired him from afar and didn't speak a word to him. One day I decided to tell my mom about him. She told Dee and Dee told someone else and it got back to him. It was obvious too. When he instructed the class he would choose me to be his partner. I would tremble when he touched me. He would just laugh and ask me if I was okay. I signed up for a competition and brought my friend. He stopped by to talk to me for awhile. I could barely contain myself. She gave me a look and said "Who was that and what was that?" I just shrugged and smiled. Everyone from the studio use to go to a pizza place called The Big Cheese and watch UFC. I went with my dad and brother one day. He went up to talk to me and even introduce himself to my dad. The most ballsy thing any guy has done in my eyes. (Dad and boys who like me don't mix very well) The thing was I was only 16 going on 17. He was 20 going on 21.I didn't know how to flirt and was very very naive. I'm pretty sure my parents didn't like the idea and neither did the owner of the studio. I also unexpectedly fell in love. He tried to message me on Facebook when I quit and he moved to Brazil. I still didn't know what to do or what to say, so I said nothing.

Manny #2: Your mom calls you Emmanuel. I called you Eman. My friend Ariel called you Manny. I met you at work. We were both servers for a seafood chain restaurant. I never paid much attention to him at first. I would ask him if he was okay because he was always quiet and a little off. I would figure out it was just because he was high all the time. How everything started was you handed me a piece a paper to start a scavenger hunt. It made me so happy because work was really slow and it was really creative to me. So every shift you would create a whole new scavenger hunt for me. It ended not too long after because you made a big mistake with one of your tables. Then you started to ask me all these existential question that actually made me think out of my everyday life. It had been awhile and I got stuck in a everyday schedule (which honestly was driving me crazy) Then one day he told me he was quitting and leaving San Francisco to move to Napa with his family. I was very emotional about it and I didn't understand why. I said we should hang out before and we did. We planned to go to a sushi place close to where we lived. We had set the time for seven o clock. When I arrived I peaked through the window to see if you were there. I didn't see you so I sat outside the restaurant for thirty minutes disappointed and hands frozen. I decided I would walk to KFC, go home and call it a night. I called him and said "I'm going home I have been waiting for you a long time." He replied "What are you talking about I've been here the whole time?" We both just stared laughing and I walked back to the restaurant and actually went inside. For about ten minutes we talked about how we thought we got stood up. I told to touch my hands to see how cold they were. I remember him grabbing my hand firmly. It was weird but it felt nice. We sat there and talked for four hours about hopes, dreams, the world, the future, and honestly I could go on. He is one of the few people I feel like I could talk to about anything and not be afraid. I even went to his house after and we talked even more about everything. Then he made the move to Napa. It had been awhile since I talked to my friend Ariel and I decided to give her a call. She answered and said she was on her way to Napa to visit him. My friends Tan and Katie visited him the week before. I decided I was going to take some time and visit him. He set everything up for me. He had his friend Ray pick me up and drive me all the way to Napa. He was interesting just like him and had a lot to say. He scared me a little because the way he drove up the whiny roads. It was dark and a lot of deer warning. He just laughed at me and said "Don't worry I grew up in places like these." When we made it we all talked for a little bit then went asleep. Eman gave me his bed. The next day I met all his family: his mom, his stepdad, his sister, and her husband. We all talked for a bit and Eman made us breakfast. We went on a hike after with all his dogs: Sammy, Frisco, Chica and Guinness. Napa is a beautiful place. It was mostly Eman and Ray talking. They had been friends since middle school. Ray left shortly. Eman and I decided to hang around in his house. I wasn't 21 yet so I couldn't go to any of the wineries yet. He pulled some wine from his cellar that the previous owners had left. We had more than a couple of glasses. We ended up on your bed and he looked into my eyes and caressed my face gently. It felt right but I couldn't do it. The rest of the day you left me alone in your room. I didn't know what to do or what to say, so I said nothing. I visited you a couple of more times with my friends Ariel and Megan. Before you left to work, you would lay down with me and hold my hand, sometimes kiss me on my forehead. Then came the day I was moving out of San Francisco. I remember he came to the city a few days before I left. We sat mostly silent in his car not saying much. We both knew it was goodbye but we didn't know what to say or what to do, so we said nothing.

Manny #3: It was my first day being back in San Francisco after a few month. I spent most of the day at Dolores park getting drunk with my friends. I had grown quite frustrated with some of my friends because of the unnecessary drama. It was getting dark and everyone asked me what I wanted to do. I responded "All I want is to have a drink at Blondies." So we started headed towards Blondies. I was only talking to Jen because she was the only one who hadn't made me upset. We were behind everyone else, just catching up on our lives. We were almost there but I turned to her and said I really need to pee and I can't hold. I went into a crowded bar at first and went straight for the bathrooms. There was someone in there and didn't look like anyone was coming out anytime soon. I went to the bar next door and Jen waited outside for me. Bond Bar. When I went in there it was just the bartender. I would of felt fucked up if I just used the bathroom and left. So I sat down and decided to get a drink. The bartender came up to me and said what can I get for you? "Vodka and soda." Still don't know why I ordered it since I hate vodka. "ID?" I handed him my ID. He looked at it for awhile and handed it back. I waited for him to make the drink and I covered it with a napkin and then ran to the bathroom. I sat back down and Jen decided to come in. She said "Bitch I thought you were just using the bathroom." I laughed "I would feel bad plus I need to get away from them." The bartender came up again and asked Jen what she wanted. "Tequila and tonic." I took a closer look at him. He had short curly hair that he kept under his hat, skinny, and tan. I really digged his style. Its really what caught my attention. Jen and I start talking to him, that's when I got more interested. He told us his name is Manny. He considered himself a film maker, wrote his own scripts and was into Kubrick. He lived in New York for awhile. We both are from the Inland Empire. I just flat out asked for his number and he gave it to me. We even hugged before I left the bar. I was really drunk though and I ended up calling my ex-boyfriend. Manny texted me at the same time. I didn't know what to do or what to say, so I didn't say anything.

(This really isn't about boys)