Sitting alone isn’t so bad. The sun is shining off the water and the warm salty air is soaking into my skin. The public beach on Palm Beach island is pretty lively for a Tuesday afternoon so close to the end of season. Several slightly sunburned families from Wisconsin are squeezing in their last romp in the sand and waves before they fly back up to their frozen corner of the US and in contrast my fellow natives are strolling about, enjoying one of our only “cool” days in South Florida. My thoughts drift back to “The Talk” as I lazily eye my fellow beach goers, tanned natives and see through tourists.
The conversation with my wife wasn’t as hard as I thought……
“You’re WHAT?” my wife exclaimed as the lilt in voice faded.
I cringed, trepidation in my voice, “I…. I think, what I mean to say….” I stammered.
Red faced and expulsive, she repeated, “Oh, I heard….. EXPLAIN, you need to explain what you meant!”
I just came out…. not a little, I came out a lot. I struggled for months to wrap my head around how to explain.
Calmly and slightly unsure, “Baby, I believe my sexual preference steers closer to…”
“WTF is non-monogamous even mean Able?” she spit.
“Baby, I love y….”
She interrupted, “Don’t say it Able, not until you explain, Are you fucking someone else?”
“Babe, no, I would never cheat on you…. Never!”, the tears stain my cheeks as I squeeze out my denial.