Partners

A friend dropped by yesterday with his on-off 'girlfriend'.

Judging and commenting on other people's relationships is pretty poor, but... Is it better when they're 'as bad as each other'? -The man wants sex, the woman wants to mould the man into the partner she wants. They come together and part acrimoniously when the woman admits she can't change him or when the man decides she's gone too far. So, they're back together about 3 months since the last bust up. I was privvy to the final exchange of text messages but have enough experience not to have made my true feelings known- I thought it would be temporary- as long as neither of them hooked someone else. It has only been since the weekend, but she is already back into her old habits of dressing him and telling him his lifestyle is crap -which it is, but he likes living as he does. I think once he's had his sexual fill she'll be out again.

The calamitous experiences of almost ALL my straight Geordie friends at the hands of their "lasses" make me relieved to be Gay!

The guy whose partner got him working on pipelines to make dosh they used towards a bigger house in a nicer area only for her to call the police and claim he'd made no contribution to the property (everything was in her name) and he was booted out.

The guy whose baby-mother tried for ages to have their son medicated so she would receive additional benefits. The same guy whose new girlfriend, with whom he was living, attempted to empty his bank account and revealed an affair with someone else whilst he was recovering from a brain haemorrhage.

The guy whose partner has 'gone off' for a second time- the first time she insisted on him selling their house and giving her half- which he did. Once she'd spent it, she returned and he let her back in!! She was also directly responsible for him having a stint in jail and has married a guy abroad younger than her first son.

The guy who was constantly physically attacked by his Filipino wife who persuaded his (none-too-bright) family that HE was abusing HER! She told him her plan to kick him out of their house and make him pay for it until their daughter is of age. However- this guy is a twat: Me-being-me found out and got the appropriate public services ready to spring into action because they're aware of the prevalence of female to male spousal abuse in 'Geordieland' but men almost never come forward... He left me hanging and red-faced having lined up a whole host of heavyweight advocates. Now, several years later, she has left taking their daughter having accused him of the usual but untrue things and is supposedly trundling towards a court hearing. I'm afraid I refuse to listen to it anymore, its not exactly that I don't care, but listening to his constant moaning has proved as futile as it is irritating.

I would rather remain single than abdicate so much of my freewill to someone I was with for the sake of being with someone. Sunday mornings notwithstanding I am content to be single. Any partner will have to show how they will contribute to my life before I give up or significantly change the emotional comforts I've woven into my existence.

But I think about how so many of my straight friends are in the positions I described. I was with some women a few months ago who started slagging off the men in their lives. They were mothers and when I asked them if they taught their male children even the basics of housework etc they said no and eventually accepted that they were potentially teaching their sons to be the sort of men about whom they were complaining.- 

"but you would say that; you're gay!"
"Yes and I don't need anyone's help to live my life!"

I suggested they might feel threatened by independent men who DON'T need a lass to cook and clean for them. They rejected that idea... I remain unconvinced!