Egg on Momma's Face...

Dear

Tallulah,

Picking up from my last letter....

I told Kevin at some point that I knew Mary had no intention of ever cooking during her stay. I knew this because I heard her say it. The guest room is right next to 'my room'. I heard Mary talking on the phone, more than once. I wasn't eavesdropping; there was no way NOT to hear her. I don't know who she was speaking with, but the continuing refrain that caught my attention was always, "I'm supposed to be on vacation!"....as in, "I'm not going in that kitchen, I'm supposed to be on vacation! Let Archie make dinner." Let me add quickly that around day 5 Kevin had offered to do some laundry for his mother and Archie. I have to say that Kevin LOVES to do laundry and he LOVES his front loading washer and dryer. They are not too complicated, but if you are used to a simple washer with a dial and a start button, ours can appear overwhelming...so Kevin offered to do it for them. Mary said she could do her own laundry and Kevin said the machine might be hard to figure out and Mary laughed adding something along the lines of "I was doing laundry before you were born, I'm sure I can figure it out." Anyway, just keep that little tid-bit in mind. When I suggested to Kevin on day 5 that it would be a good night to eat out, giving me a kitchen break, I was in no way suggesting that he try to get Mary to cook, like she said she was going to....even though I was looking forward to tasting some of her meals that Kevin has bragged about. I KNEW Mary had no intention of cooking because she was supposed to be on vacation.

The next morning I slept in some. There was really not too much of a reason to get out of bed at this point. No day trips had been planned. The TV downstairs and the computer would be taken over and if I got up too early, I might be tempted to make breakfast for everyone too, but I was standing my ground. I can deal with nightly dinner fixing, but I was not going to be roped into three meals a day for another two weeks. I was awakened by the sound of something being slammed...repeatedly. I opened my bedroom door and found Mary in the laundry room standing in front of the washing machine, on the phone, with her back to me. I don't know who she was talking to but, again, I hear, "I don't know why I'm trying to do this....I'm supposed to be on vacation!" I backed up and shut my bedroom door behind me to announce my presence. See....still trying to be polite. Mary turned in my direction, a little startled and ended her phone call. I was tempted to just walk by, but I asked if she needed help and kept my sarcastic thoughts to myself. I did say, "I know I heard you tell Kevin you could figure out any washer..." in an amiable way, "..but this one is difficult." I added a second or two later. I got her clothes started for her and offered a quick tutorial, but she insisted that Kevin would finish her laundry for her. Whatever.

After a hot shower, I went downstairs for my coffee. Both Archie and Mary were in the kitchen. Three cabinet doors were wide open and they were obviously in the early stages of deciding to make themselves something to eat. GOOD. I left them alone and they both watched me, kinda over their shoulder, as I filled my coffee mug. I knew their staring at me was an invitation to ask if they were OK, or needed anything.....I ignored them.

Mary asks, "Where's the bacon?"

I know it came out sarcastic, but it was said humorously and with out a bite .... "Oh, you can't find it in the cabinets? Must be in the fridge then.", I offered.

Archie called me a smart ass and laughed.

I went to the fridge and pulled out the bacon then asked if they wanted the eggs too.

"Yeah", said Mary, "And some cheese and green onions."

Archie had already slipped into the living room and was again searching for the Golden Girls.

I pulled out some cheese and green onions for Mary and as I was placing them on the counter she turned, started to walk out of the kitchen and says:

"While you're at it, you might as well make me an omelet."

That was it. Enough of this shit. Maybe she could pull this on Kevin, but Archie was preoccupied, Kevin was at work and it was just her and me now. I briefly thought of being tactful, but some people need it plain and blunt. I usually reserve tact for people too stupid to understand sarcasm and having been on the receiving end of Mary all week, I knew she was too conniving to be taken as stupid.

"Look, Mary, I know you're supposed to be on vacation, but the omelet bar is officially closed. If you want an omelet every morning, and lunch every afternoon...to be made for you, I think you should go to the Casino down the road and have it. You could even pay for a room there and they could do your laundry too. I'm thinking you're confused as to my 'role' here, for lack of a better word...but it's not to wait on you hand and foot. I PAY to be here...no one is paying me." I had to elude to the fact that I pay rent, which I don't. I put the down payment on the house that Kevin and I live in. Kevin is paying that back by covering the mortgage for the first 3years or so...but I couldn't say that.

"Well, what is your 'role' here? Since you brought it up, 'cause people ask me that." I was surprised at Mary's boldness but I was also glad this was coming to head now and we weren't going to have to pussy around it for another 2 weeks.

"Ask you what?" I wanted to know. I mean I KNEW, I just wanted to hear her say it.

"If you and Kevin are gay....people ask me that, you know." she replied. She was uncomfortable and trying to hide the fact by getting louder. I know my lack of shock caught her off guard. Straight men are supposed to act indignant when they are told that people might suspect they are gay...at least I knew that's what she thought. I wasn't biting.

"So what?" I shot back. "There are worst things than that, LOTS worse. And even if we were gay" Yes, I was still attempting to protect Kevin here..."who's business would it be?"

"It's my business." Mary said with motherly authority. "I want Kevin to be happy."

I asked, "And if he was gay, then he couldn't possibly be happy? Kevin's happy Mary, and if his happiness depended on being married and having children, like you want, I think he would have done it."

She raised her voice again...and her indignation, "How do you know he's happy? 'Cause he's with you!?"

I had seconds here...less than that really. It was right in front of me and I could answer, "Yes, because he's with me." and end this bull shit. If I waited too long to answer, it would be the same as saying yes. If I showed shock at the question, my change in countenance would be the same as saying yes. Should I protect Kevin and his wishes to remain in the closet....should I out myself and effectively Kevin too? I had no time to think here.

"I know he's happy, Mary, because we talk and because we live in the same house." I said in an over calm and confident voice, absolutely sure of myself and knowing I was right too. I had let the opportunity pass...but gave neither a confirmation or denial. I also couldn't help myself from smirking a little. I knew how uncomfortable Mary was and her anger was her only protection. On some level, I had pushed her right into this very conversation and I realized, while she was saying and asking what I wanted her to, it was more for my benefit than hers. I don't think she wanted a confirmation, not really. She was looking for the denial. It never came and her face dropped a little when she realized it wasn't going to come.

Archie piped up here and said, "No way Kevin is gay, not with the way he talks about women." I made a mental note of that...Kevin was having 'pussy' conversations with his step-dad?

"I can't imagine my mother intruding on my personal life like this." I added when I realized that Archie was done.

"Well, Kevin's already put me in my place about this anyway." she said.

I feigned ignorance, still playing my hand close to my chest.

"He told me to stay out of his business in the car yesterday...that he didn't need me to help him find a woman or anything. So we already talked about this."

Time for the final blow.

"I know. He told me." I said. And he had. I don't know if Kevin was sick of hearing her go on and on about a wife and kids, or if he saw my fading patience in listening to it... but he had told her to butt out. My saying that I knew he had told Mary to butt out was all the confirmation I would give and all the lack of denial she was gonna get. We both knew what I was saying and what had been said. The slippery thing was, what I hadn't said was what she and I were both focused on. Mary's mouth actually dropped open slightly, but she caught herself. Those five little words had signed, sealed and delivered the very coupe d'gras I had intended. "I know. He told me." Mary may have thought that she was more privy to Kevin and his inner thoughts than anyone else, after all they spoke on the phone at least four times a day...even while she was visiting...AND she is his mother... but, I live with him. I had just put her in her place and repositioned my self as roost ruler and we both knew it. Mentally, I was smacking her imagined tiara off her chubby little head and bad hair weave. Mary turned sharply and went upstairs.

I made myself an omelette.

Now...what to tell Kevin about all this.?

TO BE CONTINUED...

Boxing with Momma

Dear Tallulah,

I could only be writing this to you since you have a very tight grasp on the fact that I am a big boy and am not looking for sympathy. There are times in life when one is presented with a situation where one must simply “Suck it up” and move on. I say this in reference to the last three weeks. Am I going to "Suck it up" and move on? I am still plotting my next move, so I don't know yet. Yes, the In-laws finally left, early Saturday morning. I was awake for most of the night before their departure, in reposed anticipation…and when their car door slammed and then I saw the last bit of tail lights disappear around the corner as they left my neighborhood, I had a delicious chill creep up my lower back and spread between my shoulder blades…that always happens when my nipples get hard.

I had almost skipped out on the second week of their visit and wanted to go down to Tacoma to visit my lil Opihi...except, I KNEW that Kevin's mother was perched, ready to pounce on such an opportunity to do something like invite that cute female bank clerk she met in town over for dinner to MY house...hoping she could set something in motion with Kevin that I could not stop. Yes, this was how she was operating!

I kinda just stood there a moment, in the empty driveway, gauging my instinct to rail Kevin into the nearest wall and ram my frustrations through his breast plate against my need for peace and quiet. I looked at Kevin, who was still waving to a car that was no longer in sight. I rolled my eyes hard enough to hear what my mother used to say, “Keep it up, you face will freeze like that.” So I closed my eye lids and imagined the suction like release of my eye balls from somewhere near my pituitary gland. Knowing I would need to gather strength for the post In-law “clean up”, I made my way upstairs to the bedroom I had pretended was mine for the last 21 days, flopped on the bed and let my war weary mind drift over the highlights of the last three weeks. And that's how I feel now....War weary. Like I was tensed and needed to be en-garde for three weeks.

Now, I know there are concessions made in every relationship. I would not believe any couple who told me otherwise. I have been in relationships with liars, addicts and plain old misfit bad boys. I have also gotten out of all those relationships. When I met Kevin, I knew he was law abiding, decent, honest, and on the ‘vanilla’ side of life. He had a successful career and wasn’t a gold digger. He rarely swears and I knew he loved his mother. Did I know she had a strangle hold over him and that she had long ago replaced the apron strings with bungee cords? No. Had I known - would it have made a difference? No. Even now, staring at the ceiling of a guest bedroom in my own home, I was actually thinking, “It’s over. Is this a battle I am wise in choosing?” All I could think about was confronting Kevin. BUT, how to do so without seeming like I was trying to pit him against his mother...his mother, who could do no wrong, in his eyes...it was going to take alot of thought before approaching this battle.
The first couple of days of thier visit was like a slow warm up, a gradual snow ball effect took place as Mary did little things that in and of themselves didn’t seem to warrant any confrontation. She took my place, my spot on the sofa…but we have two sofas and a love seat…and she’s a guest. She took the front passenger seat in the car when we went out…my seat…but she’s a guest. She kept bringing up the fact that Kevin needs to find a wife and work on grandchildren. Then the news came on with a story about gay people protesting in Seattle and she sees some men holding hands on TV and says, “Disgusting!” I know what kind of power that wields when a son, who is gay and in hiding, hears his mother make a comment like that. You think, “My God, if she knew about me, that means she’ll think I’m disgusting.” I heard my mother do that too…and I had enough by age 16…and Kevin’s 46…that’s fucked up!

I admit, after Round one, when I called Kevin’s mother, an idiot, I had to stop and reassess things. I spoke to Courtney and she agreed that Mary was operating with one hand tied behind her back. So, does the fact that she SUPPOSEDLY doesn’t know I’m gay and that I am entering into the sixth year of a relationship with her son, excuse her bad manners? Suppose I was blind and spend three weeks telling nigger jokes…would that be ok? Because I didn’t KNOW I was being offensive? Is that why I had to sit around and listen to her negative banter about gays?

Here are the facts: Kevin hasn’t had a ‘girlfriend’ in at least 7 years and I have been with him for 5. He had never lived with anyone until he met me. He retired from the military and moved to Washington State for his new job and I ‘followed’. We shop together, I cook for us, Kevin does our laundry, and everyone knows this, including Kevin's mom. How could anyone NOT know what’s going on between us? I can’t answer that except to say that they know, but they remain highly confused by Kevin’s frequent and adamant denial of it...and until there is a confirmation, they operate under the hopes that Kevin will still find the right girl and settle down. The whole visit was like a three week long battle of wills, played out behind Kevin and Kevin's stepfather, Archie’s back. Who was more important?….who REALLY ruled the roost?…Was Mary going to "turn" Kevin straight, or was I already entrenched too deeply....that's what the battle felt like. I honestly felt that Mary did not come to visit Washington to look for a new home, like she said. She came to investigate, stir up some shit, and see what she could get away with.

Round Two: Before they arrived I prepared their bedroom and bathroom…the same one you stayed in and used when you visited. They THINK, that I clear out that bathroom and take up residence in the master bath with Kevin to accommodate them. In reality, ever since their last visit, I never did re-occupy the guest bath after I had to make room for them. It was too much of a pain to move and clean every time we had guests. So when they arrived, they were shown their room and their bathroom. Having run my parents Bed and Breakfast for so long, I tend to overdo on the details a little bit….rolled washcloths on the counter, new soap and toothpaste laid out…toilet paper folded to a neat little point…flowers placed on the back of the toilet…hand lotion, cotton balls, ear swabs…all placed strategically for a pleasant visit. Besides, I'm gay...c'mon! So it's THEIR bathroom. Day four of their visit, Kevin told me that his mother was using our shower, in the master bathroom because she liked it better than hers.
“What?! I don’t want her using our bathroom.” I said. “Did she ask…did you say it was ok?” What the Fuck?! When did she do this!? Where the hell was I?!
“No.” Kevin replied. “She likes ours better because it has the built in seats and she likes to sit down and bathe, I guess.”
Then he shrugged, as if to say, “That’s mom.” and walked out of the room.
I had to think for a minute. Would I ever walk through someone’s master bedroom, into their private bath and use it if I was staying in someone else’s home…after I had been given a bathroom of my own…without asking? Was my family strange in that way? Was I missing something that I didn't understand? Would I even do that at my parent’s house? No. No. And, No!! I marched downstairs to interrupt the fourth day of another Golden Girls marathon. I addressed both Mary and Archie.
“Which one of you is using the master bathroom?” I asked in a light, curious tone…looking at Mary.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong with your bathroom?” I tried again, dropping some of the light tone of voice.
“Nothing’s wrong with it, why?” Hmmm...I dropped the light tone and she picked it up! The non-admission of guilt did not escape me. I took one glove off…
“Because, if I wanted to share a bathroom with you guys, I wouldn’t have cleared mine out so you could have a bathroom of your own.” I offered.
No response. Archie clearly had no idea what I was talking about and Mary could see there was no way to be rescued by him.
“I mean, if I came to San Diego and stayed with you, and you gave me my own bathroom to use, It would never occur to me to just help myself to your private bathroom…” I was already taking my second glove off….
Mary cut in, “You could use whatever bathroom you wanted…..”
“Well, that’s just odd, Mary” I continued. “I know I would at least ask first…and if you like the shower, this bathroom downstairs has the exact same one …why don’t you use it? Have you lain in my bed yet? You might like my mattress better than the one in your room.” I arched my right eyebrow for emphasis. I quickly ran the whole thing through my head again…it was no use…IT WAS ODD. Was she testing Kevin, or testing me? Was she trying to prove something to herself or me? I gave up on guessing the motive….it was just fucking weird! I knew her oft repeated refrain, “I’m your mother, I can do what I want.” was perched on the tip of her lips and she was at a loss for an excuse. Yeah, you're not MY mom.

Mary turned to Archie, “You better not use that bathroom again!” she shot at him. Archie still didn’t know what was going on…and he returned his attention to Sofia and Dorothy and Rose, after shooting me a puzzled glance and waving his hand in our direction...clearly indicating this was between Mary and me.

In our little battle of Who Rules the Roost, that was as good an apology as I could expect. Not exactly a knock out…but technically….it was. I still couldn’t believe that Kevin was unwilling to set this boundary. I know that often children can do no wrong in their parents eyes, but I never knew it happened in reverse.

Mary and Archie stayed in their pajamas for the majority of their stay. Mary, stayed up until sometimes 2am and slept in. Archie was up at dawn. By 10am they were both downstairs, monopolizing the TV and the computer. Around 2’oclock, Kevin would make his 8th or 9th call home to see what they were doing and to say he’d be home in an hour. I waited anxiously for that phone call every day. As if AT&T reached through the phone and inserted a firecracker in their butts, and then lit it, they would hang up with Kevin and go upstairs to shower and get dressed. Well, they started to get ready...the entire process would last until about 5pm. It was like his arrival home signaled the sun to shine and the day to begin. They never went out further than Walmart, or the video store, but it gave me an hour alone while they were gone and I looked forward to it. I usually ended up in the Kitchen making dinner during this time, but it didn’t matter, I was alone.

I had no way of knowing that Round 3 would take place because an omelette.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Moving on...

Dear Tallulah,

You'll have to forgive my leaving you hanging, but as you know, I have guests. I've also had time to redirect my anger.

I did call Kevin's mother an idiot. At the time, I felt very justified and self righteous about it too. I have listened to her prattle on about race issues, Obama in office, finding Kevin a wife and about her wanting to be a grandmother. I may have been right in calling her an idiot and even Kevin and her husband agreed with me, but still I find myself feeling bad about it. Since I last wrote, it has not been an easy task to play the gracious host but I got to thinking, "Why am I directing my anger towards Mary?" When I stopped for minute, I realized that she is operating under the assumption that Kevin is telling her the truth, and he's not. She has no idea what part I play in Kevin's life and therefore no way of knowing when and if she is stepping on my toes. She loves to use, "I'm your mother, I can do what I please...." line with Kevin and perhaps in their mother and son world that's ok....Kevin lets her use the master bath (even if it is really Kevins and my bathroom), Kevin indulges most all of her whims and wishes...of course she thinks she can come here and "rule the roost". I've been directing my anger at the wrong person and I can't even apologize, now that I realize how moody and uptight she must have thought me. I would never call my own mother an idiot, no matter what I am thinking, so it is one of those rare instances when I wish I could take back what I have said. At this point, I can only treat her with the respect and care that most mother's deserve from their children's' spouses...even if she doesn't know I am an in-law (so to speak). I will continue to try to educate her on gay issues, but more gently. And I will continue to make her omelette's to order and pick up her wet towels, but with a bit more sympathy, the kind one reserves for those less informed, through no fault of their own.

Perhaps given some time after this stay, I may again revisit their vacation here with a healthy dose of humor. For now though, I am off to deliever a piece of apple pie to Kevin's mom...as she watches TV in my spot on the sofa.

It's easy to negotiate "the rest" when love is enough....but how to negotiate love....when "the rest" is not enough?

More soon, I promise,
love and kisses,

Steve

Transgendered Penguin Addicts and Kevin's Mother.

Dear Tallulah -
Well, where to start. Of course you know that Kevin’s mother and step father are here visiting, for three weeks. I think I sent you a short update on Monday, detailing my run in with Mary on Sunday, where I actually ended up calling her an Idiot….only took me four days. I should have paced myself better.
Kevin has this hang up: He will not come out of the closet with 98% of his friends and 100% of his family. It is his belief that none of them know, don’t need to know, will NEVER know, can’t know. I came “out” somewhere around 16 and just never looked back. I can’t even describe the inner turmoil that trying to keep something like that secret caused me, even at 16 years old. Actually, I don’t remember the inner turmoil, it was quite awhile ago, but I do know that I was absolutely compelled to free myself from having to pretend to be something I wasn’t. First, I didn’t know how to pretend to be straight…whatever that meant, and second, I just never cared about what ‘you’ thought of me enough to worry about changing something about myself for anyone other than me. I don’t know why I never cared….I mean, certainly in high school and even today, I want my friends to like me, but I don’t try to be something I am not to make ‘you’ my friend first….if we become friends - THEN I care about ‘you’ liking me. You know how God seems to give small animals VERY big egos and personalities to compensate for their lack of size?….Well, growing up gay 30 years ago was no easy task and God must have compensated for the trouble I would go thru, by removing my “I give a shit” gene. So having been nothing other than “ME” for all this time, I absolutely do not understand Kevin’s decision to remain in the closet. What does this have to do with his mother visiting? When she is here, as when Kevin’s friends visit, Kevin and I become roommates. No displays of affection, obviously, no stories about ‘us’, no sleeping in the same bed, no making lunch for Kevin as I do most mornings before he leaves for work at 5am….clothes must be moved into one of the guest rooms which then becomes MY room… the list of “don’t’s is really quite big and it’s silly and it’s a pain. However, I basically feel like since I have so little understanding of what it’s like to be in Kevin’s shoes in this respect that I really can’t comment or even help him. I will not ‘Out’ him, that is his business and while it is spilling into my life on some levels, I knew this when I met him, I agreed to play along, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it and I think it dumb to start complaining too much at this point….5 years later.
So, much preparation goes into Kevin’s friends or family coming to visit and I hate it every time….I make my displeasure known and then I deal with it as best as I can. Kevin’s friends are no big deal for the most part. I believe they all know or suspect anyway and just don’t care, but they play along with Kevin’s rules while in his world. Mary, Kevin’s mother is a different matter. She has made no secret of her feelings about gays and her disparaging and backhanded comments are probably a huge reason that Kevin won’t fess up to her. And it’s not like she doesn’t have her suspicions either…but when she asks, Kevin squashes her doubt and I remain silent. Now, I do speak up for the gay population, I’m not a pussy….but I don’t confirm her ideas about Kevin and I.
It completely chaps my ass that a Black, woman, who has no doubt experienced many forms of discrimination in her lifetime and has seen a nation finally begin to move past our history, by electing Obama into office would have the nerve to be discriminatory towards anyone or any group of people. The limited amount of discrimination I have felt over the years as a gay man has been enough that I am accepting of the most diverse groups you could imagine….I really don’t care if you are a Transgendered Jewish Republican Drug Addict Penguin Fucker….honestly….I don’t have to sleep with your penguin….rock on sister friend. Mary, however does seem to care and often makes her views known…and loudly. You can imagine what might happen over the course of three weeks when having her and me in the same house. She arrived last Thursday, so it's been about a week......If you can’t imagine what could transpire with Mary and I under the same roof, hang on and fasten your seatbelt…..

TO BE CONTINUED….

Not Funny.

Dear Tallulah,

So, I have been sitting on the conclusion to this memoir for a couple of days and feeling wholly guilty that I have left you hanging. You must trust me here...were I able to find any more humor in this story, I would write it. I'm surprised I found as much as I have so far. Truth be told, what humor has come across so far I have perhaps subconsciously inserted just to make the entire truth bearable....more palatable and worth remembering.

I did not have to pee out of the cage to get any one's attention. I can only say that in the next half hour, several small miracles occurred. I don't know how else to explain....someone was watching over me, good karma, maybe....small miracles....definitely.

As I seriously thought about shedding my underwear and just letting loose a much needed torrent of urine on the dance floor below, the lights in the club stopped pulsing, the music was lowered and everyone turned to the stage....a spotlight flitted across the crowd and settled mid stage, shining on a club manager/person/owner who had appeared with a microphone in hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, once again Rockin Robins would like to thank all of you who have participated in our annual AIDS awareness dance contest. We have raised a record amount of funds that will be donated to ACTUP (Aids Coalition To Unleash Power), this years beneficiaries and sponsor of tonites festivities. For our contest winners....please direct your attention to the cages above you....you have each won $500 and have all been declared first place honorees...."

All at the same time and amid a roar of hoots and whistles and clapping, our cages were slowly lowered to the floor of the stage. By some stroke of kindness, a club worker greeted each of us with towels as we stepped from our little prisons and walked center stage to receive an envelope that held $500. It did not escape my attention that I was the only one in my underwear. I was just grateful that the spotlight pretty much blinded me from having to look directly at anyone in the audience. To say I was mortified, well...mortification would have been something to downgrade to. I followed the other three 'dancers' off stage and we were shown a dressing room, I guess...at least it had my clothes there...neatly folded, in a small pile. My wallet was still in my pants pocket and still had $65 dollars inside. I was not in the mood to small talk and quickly dressed and hoped to find a back exit. I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to be home in bed. I wanted silence and the chance to recuperate. I was in a state of shock and more than likely could not process anything as I was also dealing with substantial alcohol poisoning. I was still sweating and my breath was no less potent than sniffing directly from a bottle of 90 proof vodka. I knew that when I got home and drank some water, I would throw up violently. I wasn't sweating because I was hot anymore, my body was in a fight to expel some of the massive amount of poison I had been consuming. As I slunk outside of the club I had to pass a bartender on a cigarette break. "I see you found your pants."

I ignored him and walked up the putrid alley quickly trying to escape the myriad of smells that were signaling my stomach to heave.

I was at a loss with myself. Yes, things turned out OK in the end, but I still had no clue what had happened to me in the last 5 hours or so...and the hours before that were sketchy at best. Prior to this night, I had probably experienced black-outs of sorts, but they happened at home. I would wake up some mornings and not know how I got to bed, thinking the last thing I knew from the night before did not coincide with putting on pajamas and crawling under the covers. Once I had to go to work in terrible pain and I didn't know what I had done. A trip to the ER confirmed I had broken three ribs...but I didn't know how. Often, after a night of drinking, I would have to call all my friends and "feel them out"...you know, try to gather information on the evening before....had I offended anyone, hit anyone, thrown up on anyone?....and I had to find out while trying to act like I remembered everything, just wondering if YOU had a good time. But now, I had aired my dirty laundry in public and I was flat out ashamed of myself. Up until now, I had managed to convince myself that I liked myself better when I was drunk and so did everyone else. There was no amount of denial or bullshit that could convince me that my evening in the cage was anything less than sick and a serious cry to change my habits.

I'd like to say it happened overnight...I woke up, attended my first AA meeting, found a sponsor, worked the 12 steps and found the light of a higher power shining brightly upon me. In actuality, I was sick as a dog for about 4 days...throwing up, shaking, sweating...and once I did feel better, guess what...I wanted a drink.

I have been sober for many years now, and it was not fun or easy or any of the things that the Hallmark channel would have you believe when they broach the subject of alcoholism on a movie of the week. I have had relapses....I've made my peace with them. I have also pulled myself back from the brink and have survived my own attempt to slowly kill myself too. My little opihi likes to say she is a work in progress....I like that. I too am a work in progress. I have made peace with myself.

I think this all started because you asked if you should bring wine when you come to visit. I'm sorry I got sidetracked...yes, please bring some wine, there is none here and no, it will not bother me if you drink. I am so looking forward to your visit and perhaps someday, I'll tell you some of the stories that paved my road to recovery.

Love you Tallulah,

Steve

Not good...Not good, Batman!

I am in a Birdcage?! I am in a Birdcage. I became very aware of the fact that all anyone in the club needed to do was look up and there I was....in full red undies glory. I looked at my crotch....I had to...wouldn't you? It's not like I was wearing something that was meant for mass public consumption like a speed-o. My boys had a simple cotton patch and some not so new elastic between them and possibly getting arrested......and about 300 people. Had my boys been out? I don't know. It seemed way too late to be embarrassed but it's not as if I could just slink out a side exit...I was hanging in the air. My legs ached and my 24 hour hairspray gave up hours ago, succumbing to the enormous amount of sweat still coming off me. I had to look at my crotch again....yup, there I was....and I watched some of my sweat fall to the dance floor below me. Gross. It did strike me as funny that I thought I was glad I wasn't standing below me. And my legs ACHED.... what sort of acrobatics had I attempted? I was also still dancing, sorely aware that to look like I had just come out of a coma would somehow add negatively to my current situation. So, as my mind raced to catch up to reality, I kept dancing. Without the brave fuel of alcohol tho, I might as well have been trying to gyrate on a pair of rubber bands. I am pretty sure that this was not what I had envisioned when I left Castro with those Asian boys.

Even with all this going on, all this new info and sudden inundation of external data that I had just moments before been unaware of, you know what my main concern was? I was suddenly, hopelessly and uncomfortably sober. I remember thinking, "Why now?" When I most needed to be numb and blissfully ignorant, I was actually hyper alert and tuned into the series of humiliations not only going on...but the many that were bound to present themselves in the next few minutes. It also dawned on me that there was no way I was going to get a bartender to deliver a vodka on the rocks....I was going to have to figure a way to get down and try to look good doing it. Yes, I had my priorities straight.

I knew I had not hoisted myself up 20 feet above the dance floor. I also knew that I must have either consented to someones request to get here, or had somehow convinced someone to let me have the privilege. I scanned the horizon...there were three other cages within the club. All in descending heights, mine being the highest, and each gracing a different side of the stage....two in each corner. You could have started a chain saw and not heard anything above the music. Erasure was playing, "A Little Respect." Perfect. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew getting down wasn't going to be my biggest challenge. Getting home was, if I didn't find my clothes and my wallet. And if I did find my wallet, what were the chances of it having any money left inside. I didn't even remember how I came to be undressed, much less where I had put my things in this unfamiliar club. My only chance of getting down quickly was to get the attention of the boy in the cage about eight feet below and a little to the left of me. I had to take the leap of faith that he was not also in the same predicament as me and would know how to get me down. I honestly thought I was going to have to take off my underwear and in a stunt of athleticism I knew I was not capable of, toss them so they would pass in front of his eyes and get his attention. I hadn't worked out the kinks yet. I had very few options here....but I did have to pee.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

The Birdcage...

Dear Tallulah,

It really surprised me that I had not told you in any of our conversations that I don't drink anymore. In total, I have not had a drink in almost 10 years, tho there was a slip about 5 years ago. Since I have trouble keeping things short, this may have to come in installments.

When I returned from modeling in Japan for Coca-Cola, I entered into one of my first long term relationships with a guy who came to Hawaii to visit his ex-fiance, who was renting a room from me in Waikiki. We had a two week whirlwind romance that I thought for sure would end when it came time for him to return to LA. Brandon was just a couple of years older than me and he loved visiting Hawaii, but living there was not to be. We decided as a couple to move to San Francisco. Looking back we were a pair of young kids playing house, but at the time, it was real and substantial....we had a beautiful house, a dog, we threw dinner parties, both of our careers took off and we thrived. We took vacations, shopped without much care to cost, attended all the latest plays, and our families often visited and stayed with us. I had begun a career in hotel management and worked from 6am to 2pm...giving me time to hit the local produce market and come home in time to cook gourmet dinners for Brandon and myself after walking the dog in a nearby park. It was idyllic...we were young, successful, independent.

I drank every day the whole 8 years we were together.

I start the story here, not because it's where I started drinking, but because it's where my consuming alcohol crossed from being fun and became an issue, a necessity, and an addiction. Why alcohol and not another drug....could have been anything that worked quickly, frankly. Instant Gratification took too long and alcohol was quicker than pills, didn't require rolling or chopping or calls to a supplier, and it was legal.

When Brandon came to Hawaii, he was on vacation. I lived and worked in Waikiki. Mostly tho, I played there. I lived about 1/2 block from where I worked at Canlis Restaurant...at the time, a swanky place that happened to be right next door to Hula's...THE gay club in all of Honolulu. Next door to Hula's was a block long strip of up and coming gay friendly, or gay-owned businesses....Hamburger Mary's, 80% Straight, various clothing stores and of course the obligatory video shop. I went to work at about 2pm, got off work at 11pm, went home, changed and went clubbing until dawn, then slept until it was time to do it all over again. Most of my friends did the same. So when Brandon showed up on his vacation...he just joined me in my routine. When we got to San Francisco, I simply continued my behaviors, minus the clubs. Brandon did not do the same, yet, he had no clue as to how much or often I drank for about the first 4 years we were together. I would drink mostly as I cooked in the kitchen and while I would have a bottle of beer on the counter for show, my real drinking was limited to the vodka I hid in the pantry. I bought a pint on the way home and carried the empty bottle out with me in the morning. On weekends, I drank what we had in the house for parties and if I drank too much, I poured water into the liquor bottles to keep them looking full, until I could replace it with real liquor during the week. From the outside looking in, and for me, looking back...these were obvious signs that my drinking was out of control...but while it was happening, I held a job, paid bills, advanced my career, and rarely stepped outside of myself enough to recognize that something was not right. I did not actively understand that I was feeding an addiction. I did know that I woke up "shaky"....withdrawals....and hungover....and that I couldn't wait to get home from work, so I could have my first drink of the day. Understand, I never overshot the runway here....I did not drink at work and really was a model employee.

To keep this focused on me and not the relationship, I summarize here....Brandon and I broke up at one point, tho not over my drinking. He even moved out and went back to LA for a period of time. He came back and things were never the same. There was too much resentment and hurt. Try as we might to get things back to where they were, the next three years, our last three years, were spent growing apart, arguing, working too much ..... while marked with brief periods of amicability, I cannot look back upon this time and remember it as happy.

My first "public" black out became the bottom I needed to push me into recovery. I had started to drink very heavily and eat very little. I was between jobs and Brandon was travelling at least 4 out of 7 days of the week for his new job. On this particular day, I had started drinking vodka before noon....while I normally held out until after noon, this day I did not. By about 4pm, I got a wild hair across my ass and decided I needed to go dancing. I took a taxi to the Castro district...where all the gay clubs were. It was still too early to find an active dance club, but at least there was music....and men. I made the rounds to most of the clubs on the strip and at some point I noticed several young and cute Asian boys up ahead of me...on the sidewalk, next to their car. I remember only pieces of this, but I'm sure I was unable to walk straight and was surely slurring my words. However, I was able to flirt enough with these young boys to convince them to take me somewhere to dance....what did I promise them? Who knows....maybe they just hoped an opportunity would present itself...I'll never know. They took me to Haight/Ashbury to a club called Rockin Robins. It used to be a theatre, and where the seats should have been, there was now a dance floor. The stage, however, I could see upon entering the club, was where the management invited the "Cool" people to dance....and that's the last thing I remember....heading to the stage, ditching the Asian boys ...KNOWING... that I would dance on the stage. It was about 7pm.

Fast Forward.....11:30 pm.....I slowly become aware of my surroundings...there is music, loud....cigarette smoke....my legs hurt, I am covered in sweat, I AM IN MY UNDERWEAR....and oh yeah, I am twenty feet above the dance floor in what appears to be a large bird cage.....

To Be Continued......