Christmas time
(A miniature from "The new guy".)
Colourful lights and happy faces.
Hunting gifts in all kind of places.
You have a lot to walk and run.
But in the end it will be fun.
It was their first Christmas together.
But what means together when you live in a secret relationship.
What can you give, what may you get?
How to celebrate?
Both had no idea what it was like not to be alone on the holidays.
Dorian remembered the time in Dallas.
His penthouse flat was decorated discreetly. A few candles here, a little glittering star there - a pretty tiny Christmas tree stood next to the grand piano. Everything seemed solemn and harmonious. And Dorian had baked some biscuits. Nothing super special, but they had been baked with love. And Dorian was madly in love.
And his Iva did not celebrate Christmas, but his wife did. Unfortunately!
All of a sudden the phone rang.
"Pavus. Hello."
"My darling. How are you?"
The friendly voice at the other end seemed cheerful and in a good mood.
"Oh, Mae, how good to hear your voice. How are you?" Dorian asked back in a soft voice.
"I am fine. I hope you are too. Well, I would like to invite you to Christmas, my sweet friend."
"You want to do all the cooking and cleaning up afterwards? Oh dear… And is anybody else coming?" Pavus sighed into the phone.
"Well, if I didn't enjoy inviting people over and feeding them, I simply wouldn't do it... hahaha."
Maevaris Tilani's laughter was so beautiful and made Dorian melancholic.
"I miss you, Mae."
"Well, yes! I hope so!" And she laughed again.
Then there was a silence between them.
After a little giggle of the caller, the next question followed: "How's your David, darling?"
"Fine... Oh, damn it, Mae! Can you read my mind?" And Dorian sighed again.
"You have to bring him too, of course!"
"We can't get time off from work together, either me OR him. But more importantly... I don't know what to do with him. I dream of a breathtakingly beautiful Christmas for two in front of the fireplace, with lots of refreshing chit chats, good food and drinks, small presents and lots of romance. But he will want or have to celebrate with his neighbour and he is already invited to our Chief and a colleague. I don't know where I should fit in there. It is our first Christmas..." And again a deep sigh.
At the other end it giggled again.
"Lord in heaven, Dorian! You've been hit hard at heart, right?! You are so in love with this man that you don't realize he will put you on first place! Oh Dorian, darling."
The two spoke a few more words, but then Mae let it go, Dorian should contact her if he knew how and where he wanted to spend Christmas.
What Dorian's dear friend did not know was that he had been in this situation before.
He was head over heels in love, beautiful holidays were coming up, but this relationship was also fraught with discretion and deception and secrecy. And this man, who kept telling him how much he loved and needed Dorian, this man was never with him when holidays and celebrations were around the corner. No Christmas, no New Year's Eve, no Valentine's Day, not a single birthday together!
Dorian Pavus often felt secondary, he was simply afraid of being alone again....
