Right in front of his eyes, was the man whom he thought he was gonna spend the rest of his life with, the man whom he was gonna start a family with. Even though Eddie stood in shock, staring at what was shattering his heart into a million pieces, he knew in the back of his mind that something was going on with Damian, and it wasn’t just about the unfamiliar jacket that was draped along the back of the chair in the kitchen or the extra wine glass on the kitchen table. Damian shadiness was an ongoing situation.
As he stood staring at Damian underneath the covers with this stranger of a man, who could only be described in the gay world as a twink (a much younger man who is slimmer in stature and completely hairless) in the bed that they share, he recounted some of the times that Damian acted suspicious around him. There would be late night calls to Damian’s phone while the two were in bed together. He would get up and leave the room to answer the call. When Eddie questioned him about the call, Damian simply said it was work related. Other times, Damian would offer to go out to the store and pick up some things, more often than he previously did, where he would take a long while to get back.
When Eddie attempted call Damian to check up on him and see what was taking so long, there would be no answer and the call would go to Damian’s voicemail instead. Once Damian returned and Eddie questioned him as to why he didn’t respond to his calls or texts, he would respond by saying his phone was on silent or that he didn’t have a strong signal in the store. There were other similar questionable situations where Eddie started to doubt the validity of his and Damian’s relationship. This was Eddie’s confirmation.
“What the hell is going on here, Damian? Who is this?” Eddie screamed as the young man rushed to put his clothes back on. “Oh no! You stay right there. I wanna know who you are and what is going on? I want an answer and I want it now!
“Eddie, it's - it's not what it looks like!” Damian tried to reassure Eddie.
“Oh no? It’s not what it looks like. Because to me, it looks like you’re screwing another man - I’m sorry - BOY, in OUR bed! Am I right?
“Eddie, calm down! Honestly -”.
“Calm down?!” Eddie interrupted. “Calm down?! You want me to calm down?! Explain to me how the hell am I supposed to calm down. You’re in our bed with another man! You’re having sex with another man! And I’m supposed to calm down?
“Eddie, honestly, he means nothing to me,” Damian asserted.
“Oh yea? The same way I mean nothing to you? I put all my faith and trust in you Damian! I’ve been nothing but faithful and honest with you. And this is how you repay me? By breaking my trust and throwing three incredible years down the damn toilet? I knew something was up. You’ve been acting pretty shady and suspicious lately and I knew something was going on. I knew you were up to something. I was just stupid enough to downplay it like everything was normal. Like our relationship was normal. What happened to us getting married? What happened to us having children and growing old together? What happened to all of that Damian?”
“Eddie, I still want that. Trust me, you’re the only one I wanna be with”
“You say, as you go behind my back screwing this boy, and however many other boys. I don’t want anything to do with you. I want you to leave”
“Eddie, stop! You don’t mean that! Can we just talk about this?”
“What is there to talk about? You’ve gone behind my back. You’ve betrayed me. You might as well have walked into the kitchen, grab the biggest knife we have, and stab me right in the back with it, because that’s exactly what it feels like at this very moment!”
“Eddie, you don’t mean that.”
“Oh no? You don’t think I mean exactly what I’m saying.” Eddie walked to the foot of the bed and picks up Damian’s clothes that laid on the floor and launched it at Damian, attempting to hit his face. However, Damian’s quick reflexes allowed him to catch his pile of clothes. “I want you to get dressed and get out.” Eddie then grabbed the young man’s clothes and hurled it at him as well, who stood by in silence, watching the whole confrontation unfold. He also caught his clothes and started to get dressed. “I want you out as well - both of you! Get out. I don’t care where you decide to screw each other, but it will not be in my bed! How’s that for meaning what I’m saying?
“Eddie”, Damian tried to reason, “please, can we at least talk about this? Please!”
“Damian, there is nothing to talk about. Get out, now!
“I’m so sorry, Eddie,” the young man tried to explain. “I had no idea Damian was in a relationship. If I had known, none of this would have happened. I would have stayed far away, I assure you. He told me he was single.
“Oh did he now?” Eddie asked sarcastically. “Well he might not have been single then, but he damn sure is now. So...you can have him.”
“Eddie, I’m begging you,” Damian pleaded. “Let’s just talk this out like adults, like mature, grown men.”
“Mature, grown men, Damian? Really?” Eddie responded. “You’re anything but mature. You’re still a little boy if you can’t commit to one person. You’ve got a lot of growing up to do. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want a boy. I want a man, and you just don’t fit that description...sorry! Now get out.”
Both Damian, and the young man, whom Eddie did not feel the need to find out the name of due to his irrelevance, left together. As they walked out the front door, Eddie called for them to have fun and for Damian not to even think of trying to get back in contact with him because he will give Damian a taste of his own medicine by not responding. Eddie then slammed the door shut and broke down in tears and he sunk to the floor.
A few weeks after this heartbreaking ordeal, and Eddie had enough time to grieve the end of his relationship, he decided to do something that would take his life in a completely differentand unexpected direction.
