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QColumn: A Gay In The Life: The Best

The Best
By Steve Prince
“Am I an idiot?” Alex asked, wide-eyed and fearful.
“No, sugar,” I responded with a wave of my hand. “We’ve all been there.” I looked down at my coffee.
Out of all my friends, Alex is definitely the most optimistic. Whenever one of us has a problem, Alex always considers the alternatives and reminds us of our strengths. It’s obvious that he’s a good attorney; no matter how hard you try to throw a pity party, Alex always talks you out of it.
The funny thing is, as good as Alex can talk me out of being a Debbie Downer, he does a damn good job of talking himself into doubt. I mean, he was raised in Columbia in a fairly strict Catholic family—maybe he’s just really used to Catholic guilt. Whatever the reason, I’m always shocked by his lapses of confidence. He’s successful, very attractive, very fit, and he lives in a beautiful condo right of Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. That said, he’s also one of the most loyal, kind-hearted guys I know. So as he’s talking to me I sometimes want to say SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU’RE PERFECT. Alas, I don’t. Why? Because he’s my friend and I love him for his insecurities.
“I’m a terrible person,” Alex gulped between sips of his sparkling water. “I mean, here I am with this great guy and I can’t even focus on him. I have to think about two strangers pumping at one another. I’m fucked up.”
“Sweetie,” I said trying to add my best no-nonsense mother voice. “You’re not fucked up. You’re human. So you thought about someone else during sex. You shouldn’t feel guilty.”
“I know Stevie, but I like this guy.” Alex paused. “I don’t want to mess things up.”
Alex had been dating Richard for a while now. We actually called the guy, Richard Gere, because he did resemble Mr. Gere. I had met him once at a Prop 8 protest. Richard oozed charm. His grey-flecked hair perfectly complimented his soft green eyes. Because Richard was fourteen years older than Alex, I could see why he would intimidate Alex. Richard held a job as a CEO, he had several adult children, and his life seemed complete. It was almost as if Alex was seeing Richard they way I often see Alex, as perfect.
“Okay,” I said trying to get a handle on things. “Tell me what happened again.”

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