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Nathan doesn’t know how to stop dwelling on the failures and tragedies that have plagued him since the last time we saw him at the end of The Mayor of Oak Street, a twenty-one-year-old happily in the arms of the handsome young doctor he had pined for since he was twelve. Many years later, what could mend Nathan’s heart after the latest tragedy and stop his deep dives into the past? Another handsome young doctor? Or would someone in the medical field do? After a chance meeting with ER nurse, Mateo, a lot of Nathan’s reminiscing is now devoted to that encounter and how it made him feel. Will he seize the day or continue wallowing in the past, having lunch with his best girlfriend from high school, and writing poetry?
Nathan has lived through and had a personal connection to many of the crises that have plagued the LBGTQ+ community in the last forty years: the Up Stairs Lounge fire in New Orleans, the assassination of Harvey Milk, and the AIDS epidemic. He has lived in foreign countries, traveled the globe, and had lovers on every continent, all the while with a disease that people once thought was a death sentence. There are moments he is convinced that Mateo is the reward to all his suffering and loss, that his whole life led him to this great love. At other times, he’s so frustrated with Mateo, he’s ready to run as far away as he can get. Mateo, for his part, must take care of his ailing mother while he works full time in the emergency room. The practical aspects of starting a new relationship are challenging to say the least. The Long Journey to You is both a moving romance and a lesson in survival.
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 46-65
Protagonist 2 Age: 36-45
Tropes: Age Difference, Found Family, Interracial Relationship, Love Can Heal / Redemption, Meet Cute
Word Count: 97,000
Setting: Bay Area, California
Languages Available: English
Who knows how long I might have been stuck there if I hadn’t noticed out of the corner of my eye
someone approaching along the same sidewalk at a good pace? No time to shuffle over to the other side
of the street to hide the tears in my eyes. I turned my head toward a dark-skinned man and suffered a
momentary knee-jerk racist panic that immediately sickened me. In the few seconds it took to get over
myself, I felt the hopelessness of humans to get better.
He stopped and frowned, joining his thick brows into one dark slash above concerned brown eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a slight Spanish accent. His questioning eyes moved directly to the
stain on my T-shirt where the juicy tomato from my lunch had squirted. Looking like blood?
I became acutely aware of my attire: baggy sweats that may have had other stains, a baseball cap
READ MOREwith a tattered rim, and faded crocs. He wore neat magenta scrubs that matched the color of his full shiny
lips. His nametag said Mateo.
The scenario must have been embarrassingly clear to him. I had wandered off from one of the many
senior facilities that dotted the landscape of the neighborhood. If I exaggerated the confusion that I, in
fact, frequently felt, he might take my arm, walk me back to the facility, put me in a bath, gently wash my
back, and tuck me into bed. The more I looked into his onyx eyes, the more I wanted him to do just that.
“I mean, you looked a little lost… and sad.”
“Don’t worry, Mateo.” His eyebrows separated and bounced at the sound of his name. Then he
smiled and touched his nametag, realizing how I knew it. “I’m lost in a memory is all.” I chuckled. “I
suppose I do fit a profile.”
“You’re okay, then?”
“Yep.”
“My bad. I didn’t mean to profile you. I have experience with that, and it’s no fun.”
I imagined that he was doubly profiled, first for the color of his skin and then a second time when
people caught a hint of his accent.
“No harm done. I appreciate your concern.”
“It’s kind of my job. Sometimes it is difficult to switch out of that mode when I leave work.” He
lowered his eyes, making me realize I must have been staring intently. How could I have not? He was an
amalgam of all the men I had been attracted to my entire life: Mediterranean, Black, Latino, shorter than
me, rectangular solid frame, soulful eyes, thick hair. But with an added twist. A dusting of freckles
graced his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose.
In a thoughtful gesture, he stared at the sidewalk and raised his hand to his chin, rubbing his index
finger over his left cheek, revealing another physical trait that rang my buzzer: little tufts of black hair
between his major and minor knuckles, a tiny forest to let my tongue wander through.
Thank God, he couldn’t read my thoughts. Or could he?
COLLAPSE
Literary Titan on Literary Titan wrote:On the precipice of old age, a gay man faces a new relationship and reflects upon his past in Meis’ novel.
After Nathan Landis loses his husband, Anthony, he wanders his San Francisco neighborhood clad in dirty sweatpants. While recalling a sad memory of his years in Spain, he encounters a man in scrubs named Mateo, who wonders if he’s OK. Nathan is attracted to the younger man and pursues a connection. As the relationship between Nathan and Mateo unfolds, Nathan reflects upon his life. As a college student, Nathan returned home from Tulane to declare to his parents that he was gay, recovering from drug addiction, and a college dropout. After he left school and worked at a restaurant, he and his first partner, Nick—a doctor involved in a scandal and some years Nathan’s senior—went to Montreal to visit Nathan’s brother, David. Following a return to Louisiana, Nathan began using cocaine and sleeping around. Nathan and Nick then moved to San Francisco and lived a life that they loved. Following the tragic assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone, the two moved to Spain, where Nick contracted AIDS. After Nick’s death, their manipulative friend, Vladimir, loved and cared for Nathan and brought him home to the States. Nathan then traveled and met Anthony, beginning a new chapter in his life (“moving to San Leandro with him felt like the final rejection of the surroundings, circumstances, and unstable people that led me to drugs”). In this romantic and engaging novel, Meis presents an authentic story of an older man reflecting upon his past and facing an uncertain future. Emotionally resonant, the narrative explores the harsh reality of being gay during cultural upheaval and the AIDS epidemic. The story also spotlights the universal pain of being displaced and having to begin again. Although some past events are “told” rather than “shown” to readers, this novel is an affecting portrait of one man’s late quest for love and fulfillment.
An emotionally honest love story featuring a tragic history and a new beginning.
The Long Journey to You by Vincent Traughber Meis offers a delightful exploration of romance through the eyes of an aging protagonist living in the peaceful suburb of San Leandro, near San Francisco. The narrative gently unfolds as Nathan, feeling his prime years have slipped by, encounters Mateo, a strikingly handsome nurse from the local hospital. Their initial friendship blossoms into a deeper romantic connection. However, the plot thickens as we delve into Mateo’s personal challenges, particularly his commitment to caring for his mother, who suffers from dementia.
What stands out in this novel is the authenticity and relatability of the relationships. The romance is portrayed with a refreshing realism, steering clear of excessive sentimentality, while the intimate scenes are depicted with a commendable sense of taste and delicacy. The characters are crafted with depth, allowing readers to form a genuine connection with them. Mateo, in particular, is a character of substance, balancing the demands of a stressful job, the complexities of a new relationship, and his devotion to his ailing mother. Meis skillfully weaves Nathan’s past into the narrative, transporting readers to various global locations renowned in the LGBTQ community, from Barcelona to San Francisco. These flashbacks offer more than just scenic descriptions; they provide a poignant glimpse into the challenges of the LGBTQ community during the era of AIDS and less tolerant times. The story doesn’t shy away from addressing the harsher realities faced by the characters, including drug use and promiscuity, yet it does so in a way that emphasizes their human longing for genuine connection and stability.
The Long Journey to You is a well-crafted novel that balances romance, personal growth, and historical context. It’s a story that not only entertains but also enlightens, offering insights into the LGBTQ experience across different eras. The narrative’s journey across the globe, coupled with Nathan’s internal journey toward understanding and acceptance, makes for an engaging read. I am certainly looking forward to more works from Meis.
