Harold came along with me.
Harold is my friend. He is the one that I am partnered with. He is the one who will keep me from straying.
They gave me the perfect person to save me because I look at him and have no desire to sleep with him. Actually, with him I have no desire to sleep with anyone.
He is a short, fat sweaty man. With bad skin, breath and manners. He has this annoying smacking noise he makes right before he speaks. It's a wet sticky sound that comes from who knows where. We'll be eating dinner and he'll have his mouth full of food. He'll start talking. "SMACK! Did you see the last episode of Babylon 5? SMACK! I think it's one of the finest shows on television. SMACK! What do you think?" On and on, never stopping.
I want to tell him that I wish he'd shut his mouth before I have to cut out his tongue.
He also tells me about his sexual activities of the past during our daily group meetings.
"SMACK! I'd stopped at this gas station because I really had to take a wizz, right? SMACK! It was the foulest smelling place I'd ever been in, okay? SMACK! The toilets were all clogged with shit, backing up and stuff. SMACK! I had to hold my breath to take a leek, see? SMACK! So, there I am reading the writing on the wall, right? SMACK! One of them says that they give the best head everyday at 4:00, okay? SMACK! So, I look at my watch and it's 4:00, see? SMACK! The door opens and in comes this old guy, right? SMACK! He winks at me and I wink back, okay? SMACK! He then pops out his dentures and blows me right there at the urinal, see? SMACK!
And that's not the weirdest place I've done it, right?" I knew he was lying. In all of my gay travels, rendez-vous' in bathrooms from graffiti appointments have never worked.
At the gym, I looked over at Harold grunting and sweating at the weight machine. I smiled.
I smiled because for the first time in my life I wasn't on the prowl. Maybe my dad and Dr. Mince were right.
If my lust had made me try to kill myself, then my sins had poisoned my soul.
I felt the weight of my burden come off me as easily as the barbell lifted above my head.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
The reflection of the new me would make my mom and dad proud.
