The Marine Next Door

Chapter 2

The three men hugged goodbye outside the restaurant. After admonitions of keep a stiff upper lip and always look on the bright side, Stephen and Craig made sure they had Julian’s cell number, then the two men walked away, still quarreling over party details.

Julian watched them disappear around a corner, then walked to his car and got in. He sat staring out the window. Maybe it would have satisfied them and avoided this party thing if I’d just told them the whole story, he thought.

Julian and Virgil had moved to New York mostly to satisfy Virgil. He wanted the fun and excitement of the gay lifestyle in the big city. Julian was weary of the superficiality of Mayfair’s gay crowd, so Julian agreed to go, thinking things might be better there.

Once they got settled, however, Virgil became a different person. He became absorbed with clubbing at gay bars, throwing lavish parties for his new group of friends. He became obsessed with working out, and having his hair done. He shopped for all the trendiest clothes.

Julian could never quite relate. At first Julian tried to explain the changes in his lover as just a passing phase, but as time went on, it became clear that Virgil had found his niche. And that niche wasn’t Julian’s.

Maybe if he were younger he’d be more inclined to become part of it. But the reality was New York was not that different from Mayfair when it came to the gay community. And if the attitudes of shallowness and self-absorption of Mayfair annoyed him, those same traits were amplified in New York and became down right infuriating. Julian tried to discuss this with Virgil, but he became defensive, claiming that Julian was becoming a snob, was out of touch, even going so far as to accuse him of homophobia.

The discussions often escalated into arguments, and the arguments into shouting matches. Clearly Julian and Virgil were on divergent paths. Feeling it was only a matter of time before Virgil would start responding to the flirtations that were always being directed at him at parties and the bars, if he had not already, Julian decided to call it off.

Julian was both relieved and disappointed by Virgil’s reaction when he broke the news of his decision to return home to Mayfair. Virgil accepted it in such a calm manner, it almost seemed to Julian as if Virgil was pleased they had finally gotten to this point. Julian hadn’t wanted a scene, but the fact that Virgil seemed not to care at all hurt deeply. Even the day Julian left, Virgil’s parting was more like “See ya around,” than “I’m sorry it ended this way. I’m going to miss you.”

So Julian had returned to the hometown where he and Virgil had met in high school to begin his new life. That new life, he was certain, would be far different than the one he had lived in Mayfair before New York. He would isolate himself, as much as he could, from his former gay friends. He didn’t need love or a relationship. Julian would live a simple life and make new friends. He’d become that old, unmarried bachelor who lives alone with his cat, and all the innuendos that come with that. He just had to get through this damn party first.