BIOGRAPHIES
| Carlos was born in Mexico, I believe, although for a while he had all his friends believing that he was Italian...then Argentinian...who knows? To this day, I have never known for sure where he is from. He lives with Lester Wakefield, from Vermont, and they have been together for quite a while. I would venture to guess...20+ years. Carlos retired and supported Lester when he was let go from his job, and unfortunately, I have not spoken to them since John left. I have "given up" many "friends" since John left because I found out that I did not matter much to them. I guess John was more sociable and more liked. I was kind of in the background...I was the one that sent birthday cards, Christmas presents, called, kept in touch, planned barbecues, etc. Then when John left...NO CALLS! Oh yes, Carlos did call once because he wanted to get John's number in Cathedral City. Carlos and I in his home in Duarte I did enjoy their company for a while and I did get close to Carlos, but not too much to Lester. He enjoyed his whiskey and kind of showed it during parties and dinners. Carlos would host great dinners and parties and we did have a lot of fun. But, if truth be known, when John left, I was pretty much ignored and I figured....."Who needs 'friends' like that!?" They have suffered a great loss in their lives and that is the fact that they no longer have me as a friend. I know this must be very difficult for them and I think of them now and then and say a little prayer for them. John M. Lewis I have known and lived with John for 13 years, until August of 2001, and then we broke off our relationship and he is now living in Palm Springs and I, in Pasadena. I first met John in 1991 at Griff's, a bar on Melrose in L.A. I walked up to him and asked him his name and bought him a beer. I did not have the nerve to go and talk to him, but a friend of mine persuaded me to go and talk to him. At the onset, I told him I was HIV positive, but he still accepted me and soon after he moved in with me. At the time, he lived with his father in very strict surroundings and he had nothing to his name. We lived well together for several years, then our relationship slowly started to deteriorate. John and I in Greece John has many good qualities, some of which are ambition and a good sense of humor, sociable, and honest. He eventually bought a home in Palm Springs which I loved very much and dreamed of this being my retirement home. But this was not to be. After our separation, I went through many emotions. We have lost contact and I fear will never regain any kind of contact and my wish at this point is to remain at least friends, but I don't think he is of the same mind set. I have come to realize and accept the fact that he is now living his life, and is hopefully happy. I have no regrets of having met him and if I had to start all over with the relationship, I would change my outlook and my "hold on him" a lot. He is probably the nicest person I know. "When you find someone you love, do not cage him, but rather set him free, as you would a butterfly". Robert Medina I have known Robert for almost three years now...I met him through a friend of his, Don Hutchins, one evening when we were going out to one of the local bars. I pretty much took over Don's "duties" after he left to go to Florida. I will explain the "duties" later. Robert lives with his mother and has pretty much lived with his mother his whole life. He is 45 years old and does nothing for himself. His three main concerns in life are to sleep, go to the bars and drink, and look for a "daddy" who will love him and take care of him for the rest of his life. Robert and I at home in Pasadena I pretty much took over what Don had been doing. Robert does not drive and so I have driven him here and there, although he is pretty much dependent on public transportation, the schedules and workings of which he is an expert in. He has no ambition in life and I believe the reason for his "parasitic nature" on society, the government, and his mother is that his mother has made him dependent on her for years, and he has fallen in with this situation. He is absolutely non-ambitious, slovenly, and of no use to society. He is at the moment getting State Disability, at a comfortable tune of $800. We keep each other company, but he has nothing to offer and I, the same. However, I think of him as a friend, mostly as a friend who keeps me company. There has never been any sexual attachment between us and never could be. I could never feel close to him, to a person who has nothing to offer to anyone and who is a "parasite" in all aspects. Ed Serra This is Ed Serra, a man that I met about 6 months ago. I met him at a bar called "The Bullet" on Burbank Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley. He is a very interesting man in the sense that he has done just about everything, has met many people, is well-connected, and has experienced many fascinating things in life. He is 68 years old, Cuban by birth, and has been in this country pretty much all his life. He has danced with stars, worked in films and television series as a set designer, principally doing the floral arrangements which include all types of flora. He is a fascinating person. Ed in costume Halloween 2009 Ed Serra is broke and has very little to live on. He draws social security and a small stipend for disability. He makes good money if he gets to work with the film or television industry, but unfortunately, this is not anything consistent. He is constantly complaining of bills to pay which he doesn't have the money for, and is constantly broke. I feel no pity for a man who has spent all his life doing the things he has always wanted to do and having fun, a man who now has not even "a pot to piss in" as the old saying goes. We have become close, but I am not allowing myself to get entangled with him. At this stage of my life, I am looking for someone who will love me as I him; I am looking for someone who is secure and independent; someone who I can respect and love. I cannot respect and love a man who at this stage and age of his life does not have a "pot to piss in". That should summarize pretty much this man. Manfred at my laptop in SF Manfred, an Austrian, has lived in Germany and worked where I met him in the '70s. I remember meeting him and going on a wonderful trip to Regensburg where he went to visit a friend of his, a lady friend, and we went to this wonderful chateau, and I remember coming down the beautiful staircase, holding his lady friend's hand, Olga (I believe that was her name), and feeling like royalty as we came down that beautiful staircase in this beautiful chateau. I met Manfred briefly while I was living in Munich in 1978. I was living with Paul Klostermeyer at the time when I met Manfred. Then our paths parted and he moved to San Francisco to live with a man he had met that he had fallen in love with. When I returned to San Francisco, I met Manfred again, briefly, while he was living in San Rafael. I also saw him again in the 90's on a trip to San Francisco with John Lewis. After our brief encounter, we lost touch for almost 10 years, until recently, about 2 years ago. We have been in touch with each other and whenever I go to San Francisco, I always make it a point to meet with Manfred, and we go out to lunch or dinner, then on a trip somewhere. My friend has deteriorated somewhat. He is also HIV as I am, but has suffered some of the side effects of drugs, such as peripheral neuropathy and has thrombocys in one of his legs. I try and call him whenever I can to see how he is doing. PLWA's need to support each other on a regular basis to get through the hard times that come with HIV. |
| Carlos Pelaital |
