At night. On my own. One more time. By myself.
I am lip-syncing Judy Garland torch songs around my drawing-room. After Judy I shall perform for the little dog a medley of miserable break up songs. But actually I am not unhappy.
I am having rather a good time. Listen, it’s all OK. I am pretending that I have long hair that I can twist into a chignon. I am pretending that I have long smooth legs and perfect breasts.
I got a bit irritable today. Christ what was I thinking? Trying to hold on..that’s what I was doing. At least as one gets older and the break ups happen the fall out is less toxic. I am trying hard not to be mean-after all he was totally out of his depth. I might try to con myself into thinking that I did all the work but that simply isn’t true. He fell into a snake pit-unwittingly. Poor lamb. Falling in love with me is like biting into something that smells wonderful but is actually totally rotten. Like an old pineapple.
His life was really just how it was meant to be before he met me. An ordinary gay man in an ordinary closet just about to have a cast of extraordinary characters unleashed upon him. It must have felt like he was walking around a movie studio. The freaks and the clowns and the whores. And me, the most freakish, clownish whore of them all.
I only told him one lie whilst I was with him. Just one. When whoever wrote to me chastising him for leaving her. I didn’t tell him how vicious they had been. I didn’t tell him because he was being so brave. He was already in such torment. I know what it is to live a lie. To live in the dark. I know what it is like to be scared of who you are.
And as I unravel the short time we spent together I have to ignore that he hates me writing this-but that’s how we met. The blog.
Sad note from a friend of Kristian’s today. There’s no getting over some people. Kristian, Dione and Justin will live on in my heart forever.
What a fucking palava! If I died right now (and I think about that all the time) if I died right now I have had a fucking blast! Actually, I hope that there is one great passionate love affair before I die. Some one with as much flair and enthusiasm as I have. As brave as I am. As magnificent! Someone who is as anarchic and as manly and womanly and I am.
What a surprise, who could forsee? I come to feel about you what you felt about me. Why only now when I see that you have drifted away, what a surprise what a cliché.
I am not wearing a black velvet jewel encrusted gown. I am not wearing a wig. I am not wearing makeup. But I wish I was. When I think of my totally uptight male film industry friends (like the fat pig agent) I take time to wonder how many of them could express themselves like that? With verve?
You know what? Every person I have ever fallen out of love with has come crawling back to me. Every one. They never somehow forgot what they were first attracted to. Arrogant huh? I don’t care. Not tonight. Look, my first boy friend was Fred Hughes. One can’t get more glam than that dear. He had his chance dear. He had a moment in the fucking sun.
Maybe just one never came back to me and that was Matty but he was oddly like the last one. A kind of blank canvas. An ordinary boy hankering after a bigger life but not brave enough to take what was on offer. The fact is-I am not a civilian. Never was and never will be. The ups and downs are all part of the deal. Emotional Boom and Bust. And fuck it I would rather have that than the parsimonious, mediocre life on offer to most.
Nobody expected anything from me and look what they got!
I’ve been to paradise but I’ve never been to me..
Ranting on a Friday night before I go out to dinner. Perhaps I might take other risks tonight. Perhaps I might take the truck and cruise the streets. I have a parking place now. A Hollywood parking place. I can go where I want and a have a place to park when I come home.
Take my hand, let me take you love to love land..float on..
Now I am smiling and jigging about to the Doobie Brothers.
No Joni tonight. It’s toooo depressing darlings. Not Joni nor the Brokeback Mountain theme. Not tonight. Now, it’s time to flush this toilet and go out for dinner.
Thanks everyone, thanks for being there. I don’t know what I would do without you.
5 replies on “I am the happy WIDOW”
I love your words and totally agree on every aspect… How bloody boring not to be loud and colourful in this short life…. Your a wee bloody insperation with your thoughts and eccentric ways what a dying breed we are so let’s make it worthwhile…. Keep writing as I will be sure to keep reading with laughter and thought! Your a nut but in such a god dam good way! Keep it real x sjg
Even when ranting, your words come across so theatrical and in-control. I guess that’s being in-control of being out-of-control. It’s wonderful to be old enough to have the perspective gained by having overcome so much, isn’t it? The highs and lows provide a richer experience. Thank you for sharing it. Sing and dance on!
(I posted about a heraldic mystery, and German Expressionist films.)
Dearest Duncan, you are totally magnificent, your thoughts are honest and genious!
I was away in Chicago and I missed you, I had 4 delicious posts to read from you upon my return.
So glad you are happy, one thing, always know that the best one is yet to come, you have cleared the path and the most important thing to know after clearing the path is learning to happy with yourself. After all, how can you offer sincere love if you don’t love yourself and do not feel you are worth being with.
You know, I am not surprised you haven’t found him yet, you are stronger than you think and the more confident than you are percieved to be, you offer so much, it has to be a very special strong confident man.
JMHO, you need someone a lot like Stephen Fry,that is the sort of intelligence that would keep you interested. No more rescuing weak takers. Notice on the door, ‘ONLY ADJUSTED NICE KIND SINCERE HUMEROUS MEN WITH EARNING POTENTIAL CAN CROSS THE MOAT’all others use the servants entrance and leave after delivery. hee hee.
once again I DO think you are magnificent my fellow brit.
Duncan,
Try, try, again. I don’t know why you’ve cast yourself in the role of the wicked wizard, who entices poor Hansel [the witch & Gretal aren’t in this version 🙂 ] to the gingerbread house for a bit of tea and sympathy, all the while sharpening knives and relishing the lovely meat pie that he will become a la’ Sweeney Todd. YOU’RE NOT! If he contacted you after reading your blog, he was no innocent lamb. Sorry. Can’t say it enough. He is a lamb, who would have made Bo Peep pull her hair out, because he seems intent on straying. And I don’t mean coming out. I mean drinking, drugging & bar crawling. You almost surrendered your sobriety to fit in this folie a deux. Your saner self had other ideas. And good on him.
But, that said… I’m so sorry that your heart is aching. *Metal Rabbit sings the Chaplin song “Smile” and with sad eyes, hands Duncan a wee teddy bear to snuggle with*:
Smile, though your heart is aching,
Smile, even though it’s breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky-
You’ll get by.
If you smile through your pain and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
For you.
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever so near,
That’s the time you must keep on trying,
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.
Duncan,
Try, try, again. I don’t know why you’ve cast yourself in the role of the wicked warlock, who entices poor Hansel [the witch & Gretal aren’t in this version 🙂 ] to the gingerbread house for a bit of tea and sympathy, all the while sharpening knives and relishing the lovely meat pie that he will become a la’ Sweeney Todd. YOU’RE NOT! If he contacted you after reading your blog, he was no innocent lamb. Sorry. Can’t say it enough. He is a lamb, who would have made Bo Peep pull her hair out, because he seems intent on straying. And I don’t mean coming out. I mean drinking, drugging & bar crawling. You almost surrendered your sobriety to fit in this folie a deux. Your saner self had other ideas. And good on him.
But, that said… I’m so sorry that your heart is aching. *Metal Rabbit sings the Chaplin song “Smile” and with sad eyes, hands Duncan a wee teddy bear to snuggle with*:
Smile, though your heart is aching,
Smile, even though it’s breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky-
You’ll get by.
If you smile through your pain and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
For you.
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever so near,
That’s the time you must keep on trying,
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.
Here’s hoping that you can see a rainbow through the mist in your eyes.
Blessings,
Amanda