The Other Side of Things

Recently, both he and I have become involved in a show called "The Book of Liz". It's a... quaint little play, nonsensical.

For our first rehearsal last night(and I will refrain from discussing the casting process, because I feel that the amount of horse manure involved would fertilize the tri-county area), the director went through the cast and asked each person to talk about their character.

Anybody who has been in a show has been through this ritual. Everyone talks about their character's feelings, and motivations, in long and winding sentences. Sometimes, they've honestly put alot of thought into who their characters are, but I've found that it's often an attempt to impress everyone with how deep and meaningful they can be. As with most social situations, there are certain things you know you're expected to say, and you say them.

And then there's my beautiful boy.

"He's a stereotypical gay man. There's nothing really special about him at all. Duncan's only role in this play is to be the exact opposite of the kind of man Elizabeth is used to. And that's really all I have on it."

Everyone, including me, just stared at him. They were shocked and awed, but I was just proud. Rather than prattle on about who his character was, he got straight to the heart of the device; he said very plainly why his character was there.

It's one of the greatest examples of why I love him. Even when he knows exactly what is expected of him, he gives no fucks. He doesn't hold back his thoughts because they aren't "right" or "normal".

After a few moments of stunned silence, everyone picked up their jaws and moved on to the next character, but I kept looking at him. He always manages to find a new way to surprise me.