George & Jim - 7. Chapter 7

I guess Dr. Simon was thrilled with how George had taken control of things and was very supportive of his decisions. He recommended another therapist in Vancouver that George could see to continue his treatment but said he thought George was really on his way to taking back control of his life.

I had been working on a plan of my own to help George realize that he was not alone with his gay lifestyle. I was going to introduce him to Second Life, a simulated online world where people could be anything they wanted. I had been active in it for years and had some very close friends that I thought could help George realize that what he had been through and what he had ahead of him could be overcome.

I had resurrected an avatar that I had used years ago with a new look and given him control of it. I used an old one because a lot of the time, people kind of look down on the newbies that just started, and the rez date was almost as old as my main avatar.

That night we both logged online and met up with my best second life friend, a guy named Kermit (Yes like the frog, but he's not green). We virtually danced, listened to music, and eventually ended up going naked in virtual space. George was entranced with what was going on. All those virtual guys dancing around naked, it wasn't long before he was showing a tremendous hard-on in real life.

George had a hard time navigating around the Second Life world; he's a computer noob and only really uses one at work and for porn and e-mail at home. However, that didn't seem to matter to him. Eventually, we both were so excited that he came over to me and kissed me in real life. It was a total rush. We quickly logged off, and I thanked Kermit for being there for us, me in particular. And we retired to the bedroom were we once again sucked and fucked ourselves to exhaustion.

The next night was one of my bowling nights, George would be home alone. I told him he could logon and probably would have a good time, and Kermit might be there as well. He said he'd give it a try but was unsure. I hoped he would because it gave him more experience and seeing what could be done online.

He did go online, did meet up with Kermit, and had a grand time dancing. Kermit was supportive and answered all his questions. They even ended up at Kermit's virtual home, where George engaged in virtual sex for the first time. I can't thank Kermit enough for everything he's done for George and me. He's helped open George's eyes to things beyond just local gay bars and quick cum and run sex. Moreover, that evening, when I got home, George was more than ready for another round of marathon sex.

Things went on like this for the next few days. George went to his out-patient stuff during the day. I went to work and would sometimes in the evening we would logon to Second Life and have some fun and then hump away in bed at night.

I knew it couldn't last, and it didn't George had made plans to move south with his brother, had looked up several beautiful apartment complexes to check out and lined up three interviews for new jobs, one of which was a real promotion for him.

On Saturday, I helped him pack up his stuff, and we drove down to Vancouver. We both were kind of quiet on the way down. I think the separation was telling on him. I knew it was for me. I felt like I was taking a child off to college, and I wouldn't be able to be with him again.

Vancouver is only two hours south of Olympia and is an easy drive. Right across the river was Portland, and we had done some online investigating on its Gay life. As it turns out, Portland is a very gay-friendly city, so I had high hopes George would get along down there.

Once we arrived at his brother's place, we got his stuff inside and decided that the three of us would go out for a quick bite. George as almost giddy, telling his brother of all his plans while I just sat there picking at my food. George's brother is a nice guy, only two years younger than George, never married but did have a steady girlfriend. He said he was supportive of George in his decisions, but I got the feeling he was doing this for the family because he had to and wanted it over.

After eating, I said my goodbyes to George's brother, George followed be back to my car. I made small talk about how happy I was for him to have a fresh start. And that we could still see each other often being only a couple of hours away from each other. But I knew deep down that our relationship was going to change forever.

I gave him a good long hug, and a kiss got in my car and watched him walk back to his brother's car. We both started up, I followed them out of the parking lot, he turned towards his house, and I turned the other direction to the freeway north.

I never made it to the freeway. A couple of blocks away, I pulled over into a strip mall parking lot and started crying. Happy tears and sad ones as well. Here I was a grown man crying because his friend was allowed to start his life over and because I wasn't going to be a part of it. It took a while before I was composed enough to handle freeway traffic.

That night at home was very lonely. I did logon to Second Life and had a good time with Kermit and my other Second Life friends. They were supportive and knew what I was going through.

Over the next six weeks, George and I kept in touch by phone and some on Second Life. He did get the job that was a promotion. He's found an apartment of his own, and in a week will be back in Olympia to pick up his stuff from his old apartment. He has met someone and appears to be very happy for the first time in a long time. He's getting out of his closet and moving on with his life.

I even went down to Portland and spent the night with George and his friend Tim. It was a fantastic time, but I’ll save that experience for another story.

I am very happy for George and sad for me. It's become a bittersweet relationship. I want the best for him and always will. He's my best real-life friend, and I will always love him. He's brought so much joy and companionship into my life I can never repay him. There has also been real heartache and worry. However, that's the way that life is. Nothing worth having comes easy, and although our friendship hasn't always been easy, there are so very few things I'd change, and all of those would be to shield George from the pain he's gone through.