Oh, golly, I thought. Here we go again:Up to this point, you see, my new colleague and I had been getting on famously. But now she had spotted the wee display of family photos at my desk. She leaned forward. "So this is your lovely wife?" Yes. "Nice. And your little boy, of course." Of course. (Pause. Here it comes.) "So who's this other lady?"
This was where I had to tell her something that could get any reaction, from disgust or dismay right through to the northwards-shooting eyebrows and accompanying saxophone.
I took a breath.
But then, miracle of miracles, she went on: "Is she your girlfriend?"
Gosh! I was off the hook. She not only knew about polyamory, but she had taken it in her stride without blinking. I was so grateful that I virtually fell on her neck:
"Thanks for making that so easy for me! Yes, she is my girlfriend, but I usually have to explain it. And that can be excruciating, believe me. Again, thank you!"
She gave me a look.
"Actually," she said, "I was just kidding."
---- ~~ ----
True story, that. Welcome to my site. I'm a bloke who shares time with my wife Vee, our little boy, and with my girlfriend Terisa who lives nearby with her two primary partners. We're kinda known for it. This blog is where I'll bring you scenes from the pond-like tranquility of our family. Why are you snickering?
I know how you feel in the smallest of ways. Trying to explain to someone who does not know is like playing hockey on a pond instead of a ice ring... *shrug*... I get excited when I explain it.
ReplyDeleteHang in there duder
LOL! Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a girlfriend so currently I have no need to explain. But sometimes I need to explain who the woman in the picture holding the wife's hand is :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Matt! Like I said before... can't wait to read more!
ReplyDelete@Rev: Nice. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy I found you! Our daughters (5 and nearly 8) are the bio kids of my partners, male and female, and their family portraits at school proudly display both their mommies and their daddy, who all live together as one big family. We've taken a back seat and we let the kids proudly explain their family to strangers. They are perfect ambassadors and few people ever question them. We're very lucky to have a supportive school community and amazing friends and family. Looking forward to reading more of your blog.
ReplyDelete@adventures...:
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting your lovely and inspiring story! Delighted re. your experience re. school, family, etc. :-)
Cheers for now, and thanks also for reading the blog.
Matt.
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading about you in Polyamory in the News. Your poly family resembles our polycule in some ways, but not others. It would be fun to share amusing stories sometime. ;-) We are also in Seattle.
Keep up the good work!
- Silver
@Silver: I thought I had replied to you already! Sorry. Many thanks for your comment: yes, it would be fun to swap tales. Look forward to any other comments you have on the blog, too.
ReplyDelete:-)
Matt.