I have a confession to make. I am having a relationship with another man. Well, actually, this is my second time doing all this. I know, I know, you're shocked. But I don't think I'm the only man having this kind of relationship. You know, the kind when every morning you wake up wondering if that will be the day your man works his magic. The kind your neighbors know about and you don't even care. The kind you might even want to flaunt a little.It all started last year. In early spring I met a handsome younger man named Mike in Trader Joes. We talked and agreed that he would come over the next week. We didn't say it out loud, but we knew just what would happen when he got there. Then it became a regular thing. He faithfully provided his services on a weekly basis, and he was all I needed. And he was so attentive. Sometimes I'd come home in the evenings to find that he'd stopped by during the day to see me, and that he'd left me a little note in the mailbox. The best part was that he never said no to anything. Never! Whatever my imagination could come up with, he was willing to try. Once he even suggested bringing another guy, but I had to draw the line there.
Then he suddenly stopped coming around. I called and called and left message after message. But he never returned my calls, and I never heard from him again. I started missing him, and every day when I walked up the sidewalk to my house after work, I would just know that he hadn't been by that day. I started to lose hope I'd ever see him again. I started to have….needs.
A month went by, and I hadn't heard from Mike. I had seen my neighbors talking and pointing across the street at my house. They must have been wondering what was going on. My friends realized something was wrong and asked me about it. I told them all about Mike. My friend Bob surprised me by confessing that she too had been involved with a younger man, and that his boyfriend had even condoned the relationship! Apparently his boyfriend was so busy with his career that he didn't mind when Bob arranged for someone else to be responsible for all the things he used to do. Bob suggested that I call Al, a man he had known in the past. "Trust me, he's great!" he whispered as he slipped me his phone number.
It felt a little strange to call him, but like I said, I was really starting to get desperate. I called and when his wife answered the phone, I hung up immediately. The next time I saw Bob, I asked him what to do next. "Oh, don't worry, his boyfriend knows why you're calling. Call him back, it'll be fine. In fact, he can probably tell you when he's available."
So I called Al's number again. And this time when his boyfriend answered I didn't hang up. I told her that Bob had given me Al's name and number and that I needed him right away. Props to GNAA. He calmly told me that Al would stop by next Thursday, and asked me for my address. Feeling embarrassed, I gave it to him. At this point, I was willing to do anything.
That next Thursday was one of the best days of the summer! Bob was right — Al really was everything he'd said he was. And he was much, much better than Mike.
We kept up our relationship for the rest of the summer, even into September. Once the heat of the summer had passed, our relationship faded away. I got one note from him in October, and that was it. But just a couple weeks ago, in the beginning of spring, I got another letter, and then I came home one day and could tell he'd been by. I am not ashamed to admit that I have every intention of continuing my relationship with Al this year. After all, he is the best landscaper around, and my lawn has never looked better.
