Kiss of Life

When a patient comes in from the emergency department, we try to find the diseased region, administer relief if possible and come to a quick diagnosis. If at all possible, we opt for the conservative offering antibiotics and panacea - but when all fails, we resort to removing the diseased limb altogether.

So what happens when a relationship becomes diseased? Do we offer expedient treatment with plasters and medication - or is it kinder to amputate? Or has it become too late to even administer the kiss of life?


God, I'm freaking bored. When do I move on to the next?
A friend of mine, Queer Quentin, has been involved in a committed relationship ( at least on his part ) for almost three years from last count. The other guy in the partnership, a reputedly tall, dark, handsome specimen named Adventurous Aaron has that infamous three month itch. For him, familiarity obviously breeds contempt so after a regular spate of relentless gay monogamy, he develops the itch to venture out into the circuit parties to familiarize himself with the other party boys. Hence the quandary.

Infidelity has always been the wedge between couples, more so I think when it comes to gay relationships. Unfortunately man ever did stray - and when you have two guys with similar proclivities...

Forgive and forget, you might say. Time and again, Quentin has tried his best to forgive the flirty faithless fellow and time and again, Aaron has returned after the deed to enact the timeless role of the prodigal son, offering dopey eyes, boxes of chocolates and broken promises - only to slip inevitably into his buaya ways three months later. Otherwise a seemingly sensible man, Quentin loses his head when it comes to his alluring amour Aaron ( though I've offered my services to do a little Bobbitt for him :P ). Just a broken whisper and Quentin takes him back without a word of admonition.

Me, I'd have tossed him out on his arse months back.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.

Of course fool me twice, you also get punctured tyres, slashed khakis and deranged midnight phone calls :P

An open relationship with rules and regulations would be one answer but not all of us are ready to accept that. So where do we draw the line?

As much as we all hope to save a troubled relationship, there is only so much we can do. Lavish all the love and attention we can give - but sometimes the relentless disease just continues to grow. No matter how logical the step, it's never easy letting go of something sickeningly familiar but there are times when it's better to stand back, take a deeper look and realize painfully that things just aren't meant to be. That it might be better to scrape off all that's rotten and diseased, only to start afresh.

Maybe it's time to amputate.