I heard the front door slam and the next thing I knew Eric was screaming at me at the top of his lungs.

"What the hell are you doing to me, Andrew? Do you know what you've done? You've cost me my damn job! You may have gotten me fired because of your needs, because of your selfishness! Damn you, Andrew! I'm so -- I can't believe you would do this, go behind my back, you've... you've -- Jesus Christ, you've outed me! My own lover has outed me!"

"Calm down, Eric.... what are you talking about?" I asked.

He yelled. Then, with his arm, he cleared the counter in the kitchen. Pots, food, silverware -- everything went flying.

"What am I talking about? You tell me, you son of a bitch! Things are screwed up enough as it is with you? Is that it? What, did you go to my work to meet her? Did you follow her home and knock on her door, wait till she answered the door and then say, 'Hi, I'm Andrew McKinley, Eric's fag lover!' Is that what you did, Andrew?"

I wasn't about to have any conversation with Eric while he was this upset. I left the room, moved into the living room to get away from him.

"Get back here, you son of a bitch!" he screamed. I felt anger welling up in me.

I exploded back. "For your information, asshole -- we ran into each other at the grocery store! She told ME that you two were dating! She told ME that the two of you went to San Francisco -- to have an affair! So, if anyone has a right to be upset, you freak -- it's me!"

That stopped him.

I was breathing hard, I was as angry as he was. Then he started in again.

"She's lying, Andrew. She's lying to you."

"Oh, please!!!! Get real, Eric. You're the one who's lying. How dare you stand there and tell me this didn't happen! How dare you! You're the one who said nothing like this would ever happen after Mark Fitzgerald! You're the one who promised me you would never lie to me again! You're the one who swore you were on the right track and you wanted this to work with you and me! Well -- I'm sick of it! I'm sick of your lies and your bizarre behavior and your coming home at all hours with bruises and lies... lies! You're nothing but a damn liar!"

Then Eric did something I never expected.

He hit me.

Eric hit me. My lover of four years, a man I had shared everything with in my life, my secrets, my fears -- hit me.

And I did something I never thought I was capable of.

I hit him back.

I punched him in the jaw and knocked him to the ground.

I started to cry... I saw him there and I began to cry, "Look what's happened to us, Eric... how did this happen? How did we get to this?"