We were never really friends,

but we tried once, briefly. As children, our parents were related and friends, so we were often tossed together in family situations. But we were not children with similar interests. In high school, we tried briefly to be friends, instead of just relatives, but it didn't really work.

Sometimes I go into his place of work, his wife's as well, and I will wander over to see if he is there, to speak to him, to say hi. I think of it as some sort of politeness, some form of honoring his parents, who loved me and whom I loved. It costs us both nothing, a handshake and a few minutes of conversation. We both know we won't be friends.

His birthday is a few days before mine, and a year almost past. Within 3 days of being one year younger than me.

At some point after graduation, he fathered a child and told his father that I was the dad. He then had a relationship with a married woman and fathered two children with her. She left her husband and married him, raising the children with him. Both grownish, in the last stages of high school. I think one may have graduated this past year. To his wife's suprise, he has a girlfriend and a little girl, who I think is now 2. Named after his mother.

His wife isn't sure she wants to leave her husband. He's not sure he wants to divorce his wife, but he's not giving up his girlfriend or his young daughter. They briefly tried some type of 3 way, but his wife just really wasn't into it.

Last I saw them, he caught me up on it all, and showed me a telephone picture of a very cute little girl. Then I ran into his wife, who acted as she always does. No hint that she's not living with her husband, after having tried some multi partner version of a relationship.

He makes me look dull and normal by comparison.

But they say that gays are destroying marriage.