Performing Gayneth
This is post 26 of Section III. To begin at the beginning, go here. Section II begins here. Section III begins here.
Jack gazed at the full-length mirror reflecting Robert’s golden hair nestling against his chestnut. “Leaving aside the question of who’s the right kind, do you have faith in the arts, Rob?”
Robert shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t pressed against Jack’s body. “I decided a long time ago to do, not to think.”
Jack repressed the impulse to say, “Like your mother.” “That goes for everything?” he asked, rising, but holding Robert’s hand.
“Yes.”
“So you’d like me not just to be gay, but to perform my gayneth?” He executed a clumsy arabesque, duly reproduced by the mirror.
Robert refused to crack a smile. “Tonight, anyway, if it’s not too much to ask,” he said petulantly.
Continue
Jack gazed at the full-length mirror reflecting Robert’s golden hair nestling against his chestnut. “Leaving aside the question of who’s the right kind, do you have faith in the arts, Rob?”
Robert shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t pressed against Jack’s body. “I decided a long time ago to do, not to think.”
Jack repressed the impulse to say, “Like your mother.” “That goes for everything?” he asked, rising, but holding Robert’s hand.
“Yes.”
“So you’d like me not just to be gay, but to perform my gayneth?” He executed a clumsy arabesque, duly reproduced by the mirror.
Robert refused to crack a smile. “Tonight, anyway, if it’s not too much to ask,” he said petulantly.
Continue
posted by Hobbes at 5:47 AM
3 Comments:
What is an Arabesque, anyway?
It's probably time again to mention, this is a very well-crafted story. I'm long past reading it out of friendship.
Excellent writing. I loved the part about Chloe, but this part is just not my cup of tea. It just makes it sound like being intellectual makes it okay to be gay but most gays I have known are perverts in general and have multiple partners. Ed is just falling for the oldest trick in the book in liking the gay boyfriend of his son just because he acts intellectual. A real snow job. You do a good job of writing but seems like you're leaving out other points of view.
Thanks, Doug. As I recall from my days taking ballet, an arabesque is when one stands on one leg with the other extended behind one and one's arms out in one of several graceful attitudes. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
Thanks, Bear. Although 4 of my 5 degrees are in English, I'm not sure about the verb "to blogroll," but I will check out your site soon.
T&I: Thanks for reading, and I hope you will stay tuned, because I think the bachelor party and commitment ceremony have some moments even you will appreciate. I also do present the aspects of the gay lifestyle that you mention, as was intimated by the breakfast conversation about the club scene.
I must, however, take exception to your characterization of gay people. I'm not sure what you mean by a pervert in general. If it's just having multiple partners, I'm afraid most of us are guilty. I'm also not sure how many gay people from what walks of life you have known. I've known gay people in committed relationships and those who slept around, just as I've known straight people who were committed or who slept around. To the extent that any pathological traits (for instance meth addiction) seem especially common among gay people, it seems to me that the loneliness and pressures they experience because of their orientation in our society may well contribute to counter-productive behaviors.
Besides, where would we be without perverts like Socrates, Michelangelo, Tchaikovsky, Thomas Mann, etc. etc.?
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